Materia Medica Malaysiana

Check on banned substances in cosmetic products

PETALING JAYA: A cosmetic surveillance group is to be set up to provide information on the use of banned ingredients or harmful substances.

Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association of Malaysia (CTFA) president Muhammad Zain Ibrahim said this would tackle the problem of unregistered or counterfeit cosmetic products being sold.

He said consumers should know about the substances or ingredients that go into making the products or certain treatments such as sheep placenta injections and botox treatments.

“This will promote better understanding of beauty products as people can learn if certain ingredients are banned or harmful to their health,” he said in an interview.

He said a hotline was also proposed for those who come across suspicious products to inform the group.

“We can then share the information among the industry players and authorities for the necessary action to be taken,” he said, adding that CTFA was still finalising the workings of the surveillance group.

He was responding to reports that the Health Ministry had started to crack down on those who do not register their products with the ministry.

On the registration of cosmetic products, he said CTFA members have complied with the deadline with about 80% of their products already registered or were waiting for approval.

“Initially, the cosmetic registration process faced some “challenges”, but we have seen improvements in terms of processing time,” he said adding that approvals were given within a month now.

CTFA has more than 70 members and their products make up about 60% of the Malaysian market which has about 65,000 types of products.

Consumer Association of Penang (CAP) welcomed the ministry’s move to step up enforcement to ensure that manufacturers register all their products.

Its president S.M. Mohamed Idris said apart from compulsory registration, existing guidelines to govern cosmetic advertising and manufacturing practices should be converted into laws.

“Presently CAP finds that some products on the market have all kinds of claims, ranging from anti-aging to skin whitening, without any apparent evidence to back them,” he said.

Mohamed Idris said the ministry should also consider limiting the number of items registered for certain cosmetic groups or those cosmetic groups with certain functions.

“This way the ministry has more control and is able to manage these products within realistic means of surveillance and enforcement,” he said.