Just glitz and glamour? Health dept to crackdown on sale of homemade cosmetics

DUE to concerns about the rising number of substandard homemade cosmetic products being marketed on social media, the drug administration, working under the health department, has compiled a list of approximately 66 units across the state that sell these products, primarily through social media promotions.

- R KIRUBAKARAN @Coimbatore

The department has begun to verify whether these products are being produced in compliance with the rules set by the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

A senior official from the department said they have received complaints about social media handles promoting homemade cosmetic products. About 66 units have been listed in the complaint and block-level checks at these units through district-level officials have been initiated based on the instructions given by the Director of Drugs Control, PU Karthigeyan. If necessary, legal action will be taken against manufacturing units under Section 18(c) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, said officials.

There are around 38 basic products classified under the category of 'personal care and cosmetics', which include skin powder, toothpaste, hair oils, shampoo, nail polish enamel, and toilet soap, among others.