May 04, 2010
Jakarta.
Quest for Beauty Fuels Demand For Unsafe Cosmetic Products
For five years, Ariyani used a Chinese-made cosmetic that she bought in the Mangga Dua area of North Jakarta.
“I stopped using it last year after I found it contained high levels of hydroquinone,” the 25-year-old told the Jakarta Globe.
The whitening cream, while seeming to do the job initially, eventually gave her skin a reddish sunburned tone, she said.
“I now use cosmetics prescribed by a doctor, because they’re safe and clinically tested. The doctor said my skin was thinner now because of the Chinese product.”
Ariyani’s story is a common one. In a bid to tap the overwhelming demand for beauty products from an ever more image-conscious public, unscrupulous producers have flooded the Indonesian market with lipsticks, creams and powders that are at best unlicensed, and at worst tainted with toxins.
During a discussion on Tuesday, Maya Gustina Andarini, head of product evaluation at the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM), warned of the lure of cheap and widely available cosmetics.
“The cosmetics business is a very lucrative one because people, women especially, want to look good and retain their beauty, hence the mushrooming of unlicensed products,” she said. “Even babies use skin-care products.”
Maya said 8,000 manufacturers had applied for permits from the BPOM in the past four months to market their products locally.
She said most products were sold in unlicensed stores in Mangga Dua, and also door to door.
“These products abound in border areas in Kalimantan, and in port areas,” Maya said. “Home-industry beauty products also pose a risk, as most are unlicensed and have not undergone proper quality control.”
In October, 2,000 types of unlicensed cosmetics and traditional medicines were seized in Makassar, South Sulawesi.
Between January and April 2009, the BPOM seized 122,978 units of 952 types of unsafe cosmetics countrywide. A check of nine manufacturers also found four had failed to comply with BPOM standards.
“The products in question include night cream, morning cream, sunblock, lipstick, body lotion, nail polish and skin-whitening cream,” Maya said. “Most come from China .”
She said the products often contained hazardous chemicals such as mercury, hydroquinone, retinoic acid and rhodamine.
“These are carcinogenic and can damage the kidneys, even if they make you look good on the outside,” Maya said.
She called on consumers to be judicious in choosing cosmetics and always to check for a valid BPOM registration number.
“Buyers need to be smarter when they are buying cosmetics, as safety is the priority,” Maya said. “Your beauty kit or cabinet may be one of the most dangerous places in your home.
“Registration numbers show that the product has been clinically tested and deemed safe for use. Also, ensure the seal hasn’t been tampered with.”
Roslenny Tarigan, 21, stopped using unlicensed cosmetics after they left her skin peeling and her face red.
“It worked for the first month, but after that it started badly damaging my skin,” she said. “Now I spend about Rp 400,000 [$44] for facial treatments and prescription cosmetics from a dermatologist, but I don’t mind paying.”
Jakarta.
Quest for Beauty Fuels Demand For Unsafe Cosmetic Products
For five years, Ariyani used a Chinese-made cosmetic that she bought in the Mangga Dua area of North Jakarta.
“I stopped using it last year after I found it contained high levels of hydroquinone,” the 25-year-old told the Jakarta Globe.
The whitening cream, while seeming to do the job initially, eventually gave her skin a reddish sunburned tone, she said.
“I now use cosmetics prescribed by a doctor, because they’re safe and clinically tested. The doctor said my skin was thinner now because of the Chinese product.”
Ariyani’s story is a common one. In a bid to tap the overwhelming demand for beauty products from an ever more image-conscious public, unscrupulous producers have flooded the Indonesian market with lipsticks, creams and powders that are at best unlicensed, and at worst tainted with toxins.
During a discussion on Tuesday, Maya Gustina Andarini, head of product evaluation at the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM), warned of the lure of cheap and widely available cosmetics.
“The cosmetics business is a very lucrative one because people, women especially, want to look good and retain their beauty, hence the mushrooming of unlicensed products,” she said. “Even babies use skin-care products.”
Maya said 8,000 manufacturers had applied for permits from the BPOM in the past four months to market their products locally.
She said most products were sold in unlicensed stores in Mangga Dua, and also door to door.
“These products abound in border areas in Kalimantan, and in port areas,” Maya said. “Home-industry beauty products also pose a risk, as most are unlicensed and have not undergone proper quality control.”
In October, 2,000 types of unlicensed cosmetics and traditional medicines were seized in Makassar, South Sulawesi.
Between January and April 2009, the BPOM seized 122,978 units of 952 types of unsafe cosmetics countrywide. A check of nine manufacturers also found four had failed to comply with BPOM standards.
“The products in question include night cream, morning cream, sunblock, lipstick, body lotion, nail polish and skin-whitening cream,” Maya said. “Most come from China .”
She said the products often contained hazardous chemicals such as mercury, hydroquinone, retinoic acid and rhodamine.
“These are carcinogenic and can damage the kidneys, even if they make you look good on the outside,” Maya said.
She called on consumers to be judicious in choosing cosmetics and always to check for a valid BPOM registration number.
“Buyers need to be smarter when they are buying cosmetics, as safety is the priority,” Maya said. “Your beauty kit or cabinet may be one of the most dangerous places in your home.
“Registration numbers show that the product has been clinically tested and deemed safe for use. Also, ensure the seal hasn’t been tampered with.”
Roslenny Tarigan, 21, stopped using unlicensed cosmetics after they left her skin peeling and her face red.
“It worked for the first month, but after that it started badly damaging my skin,” she said. “Now I spend about Rp 400,000 [$44] for facial treatments and prescription cosmetics from a dermatologist, but I don’t mind paying.”
