Cosmetics banned by FDA still see widespread sales, use in Arakan State

By Admin 18 Jul 2023

DMG Newsroom
18 July 2023, Sittwe

Cosmetics products that Myanmar’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has declared should not be used are still being widely sold in Arakan State.

The banned beauty products still available for purchase at Arakan State markets include Hunch Beauty, multiple brands of eye shadow, AIFUBAO whitening night cream, Sky Pearl cream, QIANLI cream and Beauty Lady whitening cream.

These beauty products contain steroids that damage the skin and, if applied, the user may experience itching, inflammation, and red and white spots on the face, according to the FDA, which adds that long-term use may lead to skin cancer.

Nonetheless, these beauty products are widely available and sell briskly among both urban and rural populations in Arakan State.

“These beauty products are bought and used a lot by local people because freckles and dark spots disappear. After using this cosmetic for a week, the facial secretions disappeared and it became noticeably whiter. These items can be purchased at almost any store,” said a woman selling cosmetics at Sittwe’s Myoma Market.

Some users interviewed by DMG said the results outweigh any potential negative side effects.

“If you use these cosmetics, your skin will be whiter, tight and dark spots will disappear. I don’t know what kind of negative effects there are from using these cosmetics, but I do know that the skin becomes thinner,” said Ma Phyu Phyu, a resident of Block 9 of Sittwe’s Mingan Ward.

Residents say the continued sale of banned beauty products is due to a lack of awareness and ineffective or nonexistent FDA enforcement actions.

“As long as there are people selling cosmetics that are banned by the FDA because they should not be used, people will continue to use them. The authorities also need to spread the word about not using banned cosmetics. In Arakan State, sellers of [prohibited] beauty products must be banned from Sittwe Market,” said Ma Hla Hla, a local woman from Mrauk-U.

An FDA official said that despite the ongoing sale of unauthorised beauty products in the Arakan market, the agency is prioritising more immediate public health concerns in the aftermath of Cyclone Mocha.

“FDA employees are mainly conducting checks on water and food during the post-cyclone period,” said Dr. Tin Ko Win, assistant director of the Arakan State FDA. “As FDA employees are conducting other inspections, they are unable to track down banned cosmetics.”