Sri Lankan health authority warns of dangerous illegal cosmetics

The Cosmetics Devices & Drugs Authority (CDDA) in Sri Lanka has issued a statement cautioning its citizens that more than half of the cosmetics used by them are illegal and could contain harmful ingredients.

A Public Health official of the CDDA told The Nation Newspaper of Sri Lanka that all cosmetics must be henceforth registered by the health authority.

"Before registering a cosmetic we look into the country of origin to see if they are freely available without restrictions in those countries. After checking we have found that some are banned even in the countries from where they have originated," the official said.

The official said that problem arose because the rules and regulations regarding cosmetics products were toothless and needed to be modified, as they have not been changed for a long time.

According to the office, the regulations Cosmetics Devices & Drugs Act No. 27 with regard to cosmetics were changed in 1983.

The official said that the government currently is trying to take steps to amend the regulations due to the surge of illegal cosmetics in the island nation.

New regulations are being drafted by the country’s legal draftsman, which will take time, the official said.

The spokesperson said the currently the government punishes the offenders with a range of fines between LKR 5,000 to LKR50,000 ($95 – $945).

"Our concern is that most of these cosmetics are never detected, as they are smuggled in baggage or in handbags," the health official continued.

The health official said since the cosmetics may have an adverse health effect on those using them, the agency warns the public only to buy cosmetics of a known brand, as several fake products were now circulating in the country.