Abstract: An authenticatable product includes a non-opaque latent image layer of polymer material treated so as to contain at least one region having anisotropic optical properties such that, when viewed directly, the at least one region is indistinguishable from the remainder of the latent image layer and, under polarized visualization, the at least one region is distinguished readily from the remainder of the latent image layer. The latent image layer may be supplemented with visible information, a reflective layer, a quarterwave plate, a polarizer, or may be part of a more complex multi-layer structure. The product may be used in a wide range of authentification applications. Also described is a method for producing such a latent image including steps of photoactivation, selective exposure and processing/fixing of the image.