Real vs fake Labubu: the 8-point check.
The short answer: count the teeth first — a real Labubu has exactly nine, distinct, with gaps. Then the face (soft peach, airbrushed blush, glossy eyes), the box (matte, embossed, muted colours), the anti-counterfeit QR seal (check it lands on popmart.com, not a lookalike), and the price (far below retail = the counterfeit band). And the check that outranks all of these: buy where fakes structurally can't reach you.
What are the eight checks?
| Check | Authentic | Counterfeit giveaway | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Teeth | Exactly nine, distinct, visible gaps | Wrong count, fused teeth, one white blob | SNKRDUNK (2024-12), ABC News |
| 2. Face | Soft peach tone, airbrushed blush, eyes with glossy depth | Harsh pink/orange, blush as solid circles, flat dull eyes | ¡Hola! (2025-08) |
| 3. Box finish | Matte, muted pastels, embossed series name, clean print | Glossy, uneven surface, washed-out or over-saturated print | SNKRDUNK (2024-12) |
| 4. Anti-counterfeit seal | Silver scratch label + QR; the revealed code verifies on Pop Mart's page (fwsy.popmart.com) | No seal, a QR that lands on a lookalike domain, or a code that comes back invalid / already used | Pop Mart help (official), Feltify (2025), Izoate (2026) |
| 5. Figure markings | Pop Mart engraving / artist name on the foot on 2024+ releases; newer editions also carry a UV-reactive mark on the underside of the right foot | Missing or mushy markings on recent series — or no glow / a smudge under a UV torch on a series that should have one | ABC News, GamesRadar+ (2025), Double Boxed (2026) |
| 6. Build quality | Even fur, clean seams, crisp paint edges, substantial feel | Rough seams, grainy patches, mismatched gloss, light hollow plastic | Gulf News |
| 7. Price | Standard blind boxes tracked at roughly $14–$28 retail | “New authentic” far below retail — the counterfeit band | DemandSage (2026) |
| 8. Seller | An official channel | Anywhere the other seven checks are your only protection | ABC News (Pop Mart's advice) |
Rather skip the checklist entirely? Buy where POP MART is the seller of record and none of the eight checks above is your problem anymore: the official POP MART storefront on Amazon, or popmart.com directly (no affiliate relationship — same recommendation). The full channel reasoning is on the where-to-buy page.
How many teeth does a real Labubu have?
Nine. The nine-teeth count is the most widely reported single check, cited both in collector guides and in press coverage of Pop Mart's own advice: authentic figures have exactly nine distinct teeth with visible gaps between them, while counterfeits often have the wrong count, fused teeth, or a single sloppy white blob. Count them before anything else — it is the fastest check that requires no packaging.
Does a real Labubu box have a QR code?
Recent authentic packaging carries an anti-counterfeit seal with a QR code and a silver scratch-off label. Pop Mart publishes its own authenticity-check help page, and collector guides describe the steps the same way: scratch the label to reveal the code, scan the QR (it should open Pop Mart's verification page, fwsy.popmart.com) and enter the code. A valid code returns a confirmation; a result of invalid, not found or already verified is a warning sign, and a label that was scratched before you bought the box is a question in itself. Counterfeiters also print QR stickers, so what matters is not that a code exists but where it leads — check that the domain you land on is popmart.com, not a lookalike. Older series predate the seal, so its absence on an old box proves nothing. We could not verify the exact seal design for every series and year, so treat the seal as one check among eight, not a verdict.
What does a fake Labubu (Lafufu) usually get wrong?
The recurring giveaways reported across sources: the wrong tooth count or fused teeth; a harsh pink or orange face where the authentic tone is a soft peach with airbrushed blush; flat dull eyes without the glossy depth; glossy or washed-out packaging where authentic boxes are matte with embossed series details; rough seams, uneven fur, and light hollow-feeling plastic; and a price far below official retail. No single flaw is proof by itself — counterfeits improve constantly — which is why the seller check outranks all cosmetic checks.
Is a cheap Labubu ever real?
Treat deep discounts on “new authentic” stock as a counterfeit signal. Tracked retail for standard blind boxes runs roughly $14 to $28 (DemandSage's 2026 statistics roundup), with some premium series listed higher on Pop Mart's own store. Sold-out series trade above retail on the secondary market — which is exactly why a brand-new listing far below retail makes no commercial sense for a genuine item. The one honest exception: official sales on slower series do exist, on official channels. Off official channels, the discount is the product.
What can this checklist not tell you?
- Whether a listing's photos are of the unit you'll receive. Counterfeit sellers photograph authentic units. The checks above work on the object in your hands; before payment, the only real protection is the channel.
- Anything about series we haven't covered. Seal designs, markings and box details vary by series and year; where our sources didn't cover a series, we say so rather than extrapolate.
- Tomorrow's fakes. Every public checklist — this one included — is also a to-do list for counterfeiters. If Pop Mart's current guidance disagrees with this page, follow Pop Mart's.
Quick answers
How many teeth does a real Labubu have?
Nine. The nine-teeth count is the most widely reported single check, cited both in collector guides and in press coverage of Pop Mart's own advice: authentic figures have exactly nine distinct teeth with visible gaps between them, while counterfeits often have the wrong count, fused teeth, or a single sloppy white blob. Count them before anything else — it is the fastest check that requires no packaging.
Does a real Labubu box have a QR code?
Recent authentic packaging carries an anti-counterfeit seal with a QR code and a silver scratch-off label. Pop Mart publishes its own authenticity-check help page, and collector guides describe the steps the same way: scratch the label to reveal the code, scan the QR (it should open Pop Mart's verification page, fwsy.popmart.com) and enter the code. A valid code returns a confirmation; a result of invalid, not found or already verified is a warning sign, and a label that was scratched before you bought the box is a question in itself. Counterfeiters also print QR stickers, so what matters is not that a code exists but where it leads — check that the domain you land on is popmart.com, not a lookalike. Older series predate the seal, so its absence on an old box proves nothing. We could not verify the exact seal design for every series and year, so treat the seal as one check among eight, not a verdict.
What does a fake Labubu (Lafufu) usually get wrong?
The recurring giveaways reported across sources: the wrong tooth count or fused teeth; a harsh pink or orange face where the authentic tone is a soft peach with airbrushed blush; flat dull eyes without the glossy depth; glossy or washed-out packaging where authentic boxes are matte with embossed series details; rough seams, uneven fur, and light hollow-feeling plastic; and a price far below official retail. No single flaw is proof by itself — counterfeits improve constantly — which is why the seller check outranks all cosmetic checks.
Is a cheap Labubu ever real?
Treat deep discounts on 'new authentic' stock as a counterfeit signal. Tracked retail for standard blind boxes runs roughly $14 to $28 (DemandSage's 2026 statistics roundup), with some premium series listed higher on Pop Mart's own store. Sold-out series trade above retail on the secondary market — which is exactly why a brand-new listing far below retail makes no commercial sense for a genuine item. The one honest exception: official sales on slower series do exist, on official channels. Off official channels, the discount is the product.