The counterfeit is getting better. Your authentication needs to be impossible.
Q-ID® is the only authentication verified by physics, not by eye.
The problem
Luxury counterfeiting is a $500bn industry. The product quality gap between genuine and fake is closing. AI-assisted manufacturing, high-resolution imaging, and increasingly sophisticated supply chains mean visual inspection can no longer be relied upon to catch fakes. For luxury brands the damage is existential. Counterfeits don't just cost revenue they dilute the rarity, the craftsmanship, and the exclusivity that justify the premium. Every fake in the market is a question mark against the genuine article. Grey market trade is a parallel threat. Genuine product moving through unauthorised channels undercuts authorised retail pricing, bypasses the brand experience, and erodes the relationship between brand and consumer that luxury depends on.
Q-ID® operates at a level no counterfeiter can reach, the atomic. Every item carries a fingerprint created by the natural atomic structure of quantum active ink at the molecular level. Not by a code. Not by a pattern. By physics.
A buyer at point of sale, a collector verifying provenance, or a brand protection team auditing a market, can all authenticate in three seconds on a smartphone. And because Q-ID® travels with the product for its lifetime, provenance is verifiable at any point in the ownership chain from retail to resale to auction.
Provenance on demand.
Every scan can surface product history, authentication record, and ownership information. For high-value collectibles and resale markets, provenance is as valuable as the product itself.
Grey market detection in real time.
A product appearing in an unauthorised market surfaces immediately. Pricing strategy and channel control become enforceable.
Authentication becomes the brand experience.
The moment a consumer confirms genuine is the highest-trust moment in the product journey. Every scan can deliver brand storytelling at the point it's most credible.
Luxury goods RESOURCES
The Hidden Cost of Counterfeits Beyond Lost Sales
Tags
Articles
Luxury goods
Retail & FMCG
Pharmaceutical
2025 In Review: Global Crackdowns That Demonstrate Why Brands Need to Develop Sophisticated Anti-Counterfeiting Strategies
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News
Pharmaceutical
Luxury goods
Retail & FMCG
Avoiding Fake Gifts This Christmas – Why Authentication Matters More Than Ever
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Articles
Retail & FMCG
Luxury goods
Proof
Live Q-ID® counter
The best fakes are getting harder to spot. Make authenticity impossible to fake.
Take it further
For printers
Atomic-level authentication on your existing press.
For brands
Make every product unforgeable
FAQ
Who's behind the science?
Quantum Base, founded out of Lancaster University in 2015 by Professor Rob Young. Listed on the London Stock Exchange (LON: QUBE), with 40+ patents and a decade of peer-reviewed research behind both products.
Are Q-ID®s really impossible to counterfeit?
Yes. Each Q-ID® is unique at the atomic level, a fingerprint created by quantum physics, not by design. Independent adversarial testing has confirmed it cannot be copied, and no equivalent smartphone-authenticated solution exists anywhere in the world.
How does Q-ID® compare to holograms, QR codes, and other anti-counterfeiting methods?
Holograms, QR codes, print uniqueness, taggants, and machine-learning approaches can all be photographed, studied, and eventually copied by someone with the right equipment. Q-ID®'s security isn't visual or informational, it's physical the identity exists at the atomic level, somewhere no counterfeiting operation can reach.
What's actually covered by the 40+ patents?
The core science: the method for creating atomic-level uniqueness in printed ink, and the algorithms that read and verify it from a standard smartphone. It's this combination — not just the ink, and not just the app — that the patent portfolio protects.
Who is using Q-ID® and Q-RAND®?
Security printers and government revenue agencies use Q-ID® worldwide; most engagements are confidential, which is typical in this industry, but over 2 billion Q-ID®s are live in market today. Q-RAND® serves sectors where true randomness matters: cryptography, blockchain, banking and fintech, defence, and simulations and gaming.
Can Q-ID®s be authenticated on any smartphone, and do we need an app?
50+ device models are supported as standard, running on almost every iOS and Android phone still supported by its manufacturer. No dedicated readers or specialist hardware needed. On iOS, App Clip technology authenticates without downloading anything at all; Android users go through the Q-ID® app or a branded app via the SDK.
Can Q-ID® be applied to any material or product shape?
Yes. It's been proven on logos, labels, boxes, plastic, metals, use-by codes, and polycarbonate for IDs and banknotes, if it can carry standard ink, it can carry a Q-ID®. The off-the-shelf format is 7×7 mm, with bespoke shapes and sizes available for specific applications.
Does Q-ID® replace our existing barcodes, serialisation, or track & trace systems?
No, it plugs into them. Q-ID® is GS1 compliant and works alongside the serialisation you already have one scan delivers both an authentication result and your existing track & trace data, so you're not running two systems side by side.
What does Q-ID® do that serialisation and barcodes don't already do?
A serialised barcode confirms a code exists, it doesn't confirm the product is genuine. Photocopy a barcode and it still scans as authentic. Q-ID® can't be photocopied into existence: no atoms, no signal, no result.
Can Q-ID® detect grey market or parallel imports?
Yes. Every Q-ID® is registered at point of print, and every scan is a data point, location, time, device. If a product shows up somewhere it shouldn't, that surfaces in real time, not months later in a report
Does adding Q-ID® mean switching suppliers or production lines?
No. Q-ID® integrates with your current printer's existing production line, litho or flexo, with no need to move your print contract or redesign packaging to add atomic-level authentication.
Is Q-ID® a physical product, a service, or both?
Both. Q-ID® is the quantum-active ink itself, plus the registration software, authentication app or SDK, and data platform that make it work, you're buying the full authentication system, not just ink.
Does Q-ID® work offline, and can we keep data on our own infrastructure?
Yes to both. An offline mode covers contexts like field inspection where connectivity can't be guaranteed, with data syncing once reconnected. Data residency is flexible, on-premises, cloud, or hybrid managed by you, Quantum Base, or an authorised partner, built for organisations with strict data sovereignty requirements.
Is the data collected through Q-ID® secure?
Yes. Authentication compares encrypted emission signatures, not stored images, so there's nothing to steal that could be reverse-engineered into a working Q-ID®. Scan data is yours, hosted according to your compliance requirements.
What's the first step if we want to explore Q-ID® for our organisation?
Get in touch and request a sample or a conversation. We'll talk through your specific risk, your product or system format, and your current setup, so you can see and test the technology yourself before making any commitment.
Atomic-level anti-counterfeiting, born in a Lancaster physics lab.
LSE: QUBE
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