Ray-Ban is one of the most counterfeited eyewear brands in the world, and Bangladesh sees a lot of it. The good news is that fakes are easy to identify once you know where to look — counterfeiters can copy a shape convincingly, but they cannot economically replicate laser etching, hinge construction and lens optics all at once.

Here are eight checks, roughly in order of how reliable they are.

1. The lens etching

Every genuine pair carries a small “RB” laser-etched into the upper corner of the left lens. On modern pairs you will also find a tiny etched Ray-Ban logo on the right lens.

What separates real from fake is not the presence of the mark but its quality. Genuine etching is laser-cut into the glass or polycarbonate — crisp, fine, slightly frosted, and completely flush. Run a fingernail over it and you should feel nothing. Counterfeit versions are usually painted or acid-printed on the surface: thicker, slightly raised, sometimes with visible ink texture, and they can be scratched off with a fingernail or removed with alcohol.

Missing etching entirely means fake. Etching you can feel means fake.

2. The temple arm markings

Open the arms and read the inside of both.

• Left arm: the model code, beginning RB followed by four digits, then the colour code, then the measurements — for example RB3025 001/58 58□14 135. That reads as lens width 58mm, bridge 14mm, temple length 135mm.
• Right arm: Ray-Ban, followed by country of manufacture (Italy, or in some cases China for certain lines), and CE or UKCA certification marking.

The printing should be sharp and evenly spaced. Fakes frequently get the spacing wrong, use the wrong font weight, misplace the square □ separator between lens width and bridge, or print a model number that does not exist. If you have a phone to hand, search the model code — the real product should come up with matching measurements.

3. Hinge construction

This is expensive to fake properly and therefore very revealing. Genuine Ray-Ban hinges on acetate frames are solid metal, embedded into the frame and secured with rivets — typically three or five on each side, arranged neatly and sitting flush with the acetate.

On counterfeits you will often see two rivets where there should be more, rivets that are purely decorative and not actually holding anything, uneven spacing, visible glue, or melted plastic around the hinge seat. Open and close the arms: genuine hinges move with smooth, consistent resistance and no lateral wobble.

4. Nose pads

On metal models such as the Aviator, genuine adjustable nose pads carry a small embossed “RB” monogram. The pads themselves are clear or lightly tinted silicone, firmly attached, with clean metal arms.

Fakes commonly have blank pads, a logo that is printed rather than moulded, yellowed or cloudy plastic, or pads that rotate too freely.

5. Weight and material feel

Genuine acetate frames have noticeable heft — acetate is a dense, cellulose-based material with a slightly warm, solid feel. Counterfeits are typically injection-moulded plastic: lighter, hollower, and cooler to the touch, sometimes with a faint seam running along the edge of the frame where the mould halves met.

Metal models should feel substantial rather than tinny, and the finish should be even with no plating thin spots around the bridge or hinges.

6. Optical quality

Put them on and look at a straight line — a door frame, a window edge, a tiled wall. Turn your head slowly. Genuine lenses give clean, undistorted vision right to the edge.

Counterfeit lenses commonly produce a slight bend or swim at the periphery, because the curvature is inconsistent. Cheap fakes also often use a tinted film or surface coating rather than tinted material, which you can sometimes see as uneven colour density when you hold the lens up to a white background.

This one matters for more than authenticity. Poor optics cause genuine eye strain and headaches.

7. Packaging and paperwork

A genuine pair arrives with a rigid case, a microfibre cleaning cloth, and a printed booklet on good-quality paper with crisp printing and correct spelling throughout. There should be a barcode sticker whose model number matches the temple arm exactly.

Warning signs: blurry or pixelated printing, spelling and grammar errors in the booklet, a case with an inconsistent logo emboss, a flimsy pouch instead of a case on a model that ships with one, or a barcode that does not match the frame.

Packaging alone proves nothing — counterfeit packaging exists — but bad packaging is a strong negative signal.

8. The price reality check

This is the least technical check and the most decisive. Ray-Ban is manufactured by EssilorLuxottica and its pricing is tightly controlled worldwide. In Bangladesh, a genuine imported pair generally starts around ৳15,000 and runs well above ৳30,000 for polarised, photochromic or limited-edition models.

If a “new, original, with box” Ray-Ban is offered at ৳2,500, you are not being offered a discount. Genuine clearance and outlet stock exists, but it does not reach 80% below retail.

A practical sequence

If you can only do three checks, do these: scratch-test the lens etching with a fingernail, read and search the temple arm model code, and count the hinge rivets. Together those three catch the overwhelming majority of counterfeits, and none of them require any equipment.

Then apply the price test as a sanity check. Almost every fake fails at least one of the four.

Protecting yourself when buying

• Buy from sellers who let you inspect the pair in person, or who publish clear close-up photographs of the etching, temple arms and hinges.
• Ask for the model code before ordering and verify it independently.
• Prefer sellers with a stated return policy — counterfeit sellers rarely offer one.
• Be sceptical of “first copy”, “master copy”, “7A” and similar phrasing. These are marketing terms for counterfeits, not quality grades.

The same principles transfer to other heavily counterfeited brands. Check construction and optics first, packaging second, and treat an implausible price as the strongest signal of all.

You can browse our Ray-Ban selection and wider sunglasses collection, and our guide to polarised versus non-polarised lenses covers what to look for once authenticity is settled.