Linda Lestari, Jakarta – The Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) announced the recall of 91 illegal cosmetic and skincare brands containing hazardous ingredients, as quoted from Antara, Tuesday, February 25, 2025.
Various products have been found being sold online across social media platforms, including through e-commerce. As quoted from Antara, the recalled products contain hazardous substances such as mercury and hydroquinone, which can pose a risk of cancer when used in the long term.
The BPOM discovery was based on intensive inspection results during the period from February 10 to February 18, 2025 across Indonesia. "BPOM found violations and alleged illegal cosmetic production and distribution totaling 91 brands," said BPOM Chief Taruna Ikrar in a written statement quoted on Sunday, February 23, 2025.
He reminded the public not to be easily swayed by cosmetic product advertisements with exaggerated claims, including those promising instant effects. He cautioned consumers to always carefully check for circulation permits and product contents.
Illegal cosmetics
Based on BPOM data, the number of illegal and hazardous cosmetics from February 10 to 18, 2025, has experienced a significant surge, reaching 10 times the amount from the same period the previous year.
In the supervision results carried out by BPOM, 91 illegal cosmetic and skincare products were found circulating in various sales outlets. These products include those with improper blue labels, lacking circulation permits, and used in ways that do not comply with cosmetic definitions, thus posing potential health hazards to consumers.
The findings noted a total of 4,334 items and 205,133 pieces of products containing prohibited substances. The data indicates that imported products dominate at 60 percent and are mostly marketed through online platforms.
Prior to this, the BPOM seized 235 types of illegal imported cosmetic products containing hazardous substances circulating in Banten, West Java, Central Java, and East Java. "Most of these illegal imported cosmetics or containing hazardous substances are distributed and promoted online, especially through e-commerce," said Taruna Ikrar, Monday, December 30, 2024.
BPOM also revoked circulation permits from 16 cosmetic products used in risky ways, such as using needles or microneedles. This decision was made after BPOM monitored the circulation of cosmetics from September 2023 to October 2024. The permits were revoked because some cosmetic products were used in ways that should only be applied to medicinal products.
Products used with needles by injection are not classified as cosmetics. "The trend of using products registered as cosmetics but applied using needles that are widely circulated needs to be regulated," he said on Wednesday, November 13, 2024.
– Annisa Febiola, Putri Safira Pitaloka contributed to the writing of this article