KUALA LUMPUR: A host of legal provisions will be tweaked to plug loopholes in the system regulating the beauty industry.
The proposed amendments to laws and regulations promise to give health enforcers more bite, and errant industry players deterrent sentences.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said three acts, namely the Poisons Act 1952, Sales of Drug Act 1952 and Medicines (Advertisement and Sale) Act 1956, would be amended to improve the industry’s regulating system.
“Among the proposed amendments are the introduction of compounds, an increase in penalties and the strengthening of certain regulations.
“The ministry will enhance cooperation with other ministries, such as the Home, Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism, and Science, Technology and Innovation Ministries, as well as the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), to ensure that comprehensive action can be taken against unscrupulous companies,” he said in a statement.
Dr Noor Hisham was responding to the New Straits Times’ series of exclusive reports on the influx of killer cosmetics in the country.
The reports, which began on Dec 23, have exposed, among others, the dangers of using beauty products tainted with high levels of carcinogens and heavy metals.
With the findings, the NST Special Probes Team also brought to the authorities’ attention the growing number of beauty parlours offering illicit services, including invasive ones.
Dr Noor Hisham said currently, all cosmetic products must go through a “notification system” that had an auto-screening feature and a push-notification system to red-flag prohibited substances or materials that exceeded the set limits.
“As of October last year, 119,796 cosmetic products have gone through the notification system.”
He said the Malaysian notification system was also adopted by other Asean and European countries.
“Based on the ministry’s probe, most of the products involved were not categorised as cosmetics, but were actually pharmaceutical products, which are not registered under the Drug Control Authority.
“The Health Ministry will collaborate with other ministries to ensure that action is taken against the companies (involved).
“We are also active in conducting surveillance, as well as testing and sampling products.”
Dr Noor Hisham warned that punitive action would be taken against those who failed to abide by the law, adding that the ministry had cancelled the notification status of 2,277 cosmetic products between 2013 and last year.
“From 2015 to November last year, 12,198 beauty items that were not notified, worth RM8.4 million, were seized.
“Last year, 304 websites and social media accounts were investigated by the ministry, and 300 of them were found to have violated the law.
“Their details have been given to MCMC, Facebook and Google for further action.”