FDA-banned beauty products flood Arakan markets

By Admin 08 Nov 2024

DMG Newsroom
8 November 2024, Sittwe

Cosmetics flagged by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as dangerous and fake beauty products have flooded markets in townships controlled by the Arakkha Army (AA) including Mrauk-U, Kyauktaw, Pauktaw and Buthidaung, DMG has learnt.

In the absence of an effective law enforcement mechanism amid heavy fighting between the AA and Myanmar's military regime, several beauty products that have been flagged by the FDA as dangerous are being widely sold in those markets.

A beauty product shop owner from Kyauktaw Town said: "Those products are popular among women in their 30s who have melasma and dark spots. As they are high in demand, almost all the shops sell them."

The FDA has said those products contain steroids and mercury, and can lead to irritation, inflammation and white and red spots on the skin to which they are applied. Long-term use can result in skin cancer, it has warned.

Buthidaung resident Daw Khin Win Kyi said: "I used collagen cream because people say that it is good to treat melasma. I can't go out in the sun for long after applying it. Dark spots reappear."

The prices of beauty products have almost tripled in Arakan State due to junta travel restrictions.

One Arakan woman said: "Beauty products are crucial for the face. There is a need to restrict the selling of banned and fake beauty products."

The FDA has warned cosmetics importers, wholesalers and retailers not to sell beauty products that are not registered with it, citing their potential health risks.