authentic.network and LIQUI MOLY roll out product authentication in 150+ countries

Chemnitz, 2 June 2026 –

authentic.network and LIQUI MOLY are rolling out digital product authentication worldwide. Every LIQUI MOLY oil canister now carries a copy-evident code that anyone can verify with a smartphone camera – in more than 150 countries, on 40 million products a year.

Lubricants and automotive aftermarket products move through complex, multi-tier distribution networks. That makes them a target for counterfeits and grey-market diversion, and it makes end-to-end transparency hard to achieve.

The code is printed in LIQUI MOLY's existing CMYK print process. authentic.network's patented Crypto-Optical Technology places a security layer in the printed structure of the code itself: a reprint or photograph breaks that structure and fails verification, while the original passes. Verification needs no app, no reader hardware, no NFC chip and no special ink – a smartphone camera is enough.

The challenge is no longer developing individual security features. What matters is whether these systems can operate economically under real-world production and supply chain conditions.Frank Theeg, CEO, authentic.network

We want to trace our entire supply chain, from production to the end customer. This is essential to delivering on our quality promise.Marco Esser, Global Marketing Director, LIQUI MOLY

Every verification scan is recorded with time and location. LIQUI MOLY uses the data for track & trace and grey-market control and has integrated the system from its ERP through to its digital customer services.

The rollout also prepares LIQUI MOLY for upcoming regulation: the same code can carry the EU Digital Product Passport required under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR).