KUALA LUMPUR: The government is coming out with a law to regulate spas and beauty salons.

Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai expects the Cosmetology Bill to be tabled in Parliament by the end of the year.

He said better governance was needed in view of the growth of the beauty industry, which had become an attraction for foreign tourists.

Liow was speaking after opening beauty centre Trois International's seventh outlet at Ampang Waterfront yesterday.

He said the Medical Act was being used to bring to book those establishments that flouted the law.
The proposed legislation would limit the type of centres that were allowed to do invasive procedures, such as those involving Botox, and these procedures would have to be done only by doctors.

"It is difficult to regulate beauty centres using the Medical Act that governs doctors. For now, we merely inspect their products and services.

"If we find that a product causes an allergy or the centre is carrying out procedures that it is not supposed to, then we take action but not through a direct method.

"The bill provides for a faster and easier process to bring them to book."

He said with strict regulations in place, foreigners would feel assured of a high standard of service and fly-by-night centres would not be able to survive.

On the incidence of adverse reactions by people using cosmetic products, Liow said this was under control.

In the last eight years, the authorities received only 53 reports of this nature.

Also, as a result of the ministry's post-market surveillance programme, 24 cosmetic products had been taken off the shelves.

This was because they contained banned ingredients such as hydroquinone and isotretinoin.

Products containing these ingredients can only be prescribed by doctors as they may cause serious side effects.

For example, the overuse of hydroquinone can cause irreversible skin reactions while isotretinoin can pose a danger to pregnant women.

Last year, the pharmaceutical division's enforcement unit seized 401 unauthorised products valued at RM264,000 from 55 beauty salons, spas and aromatherapy centres.

A total of 122 products valued at RM55,000 were seized between January and June this year.