As the beauty industry soars, Sri Lanka fails in regulating cosmetics

Colombo, March 15 (Daily Mirror) - With the worldwide beauty industry milking in billions with the promise of making individuals more beautiful, fairer and younger, Sri Lanka has to date failed to regulate the use of cosmetics, leading to severe health concerns as unauthorised creams and substances continue to be sold in the market.

Despite the health issues involved, Sri Lanka still continues to suffer from the absence of a proper law for such a role, as transpired during proceedings of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE).

In the past, concerns have been raised about the presence of inferior quality cosmetics in the market that, if applied, can cause health hazards.

The COPE stressed the need to regulate the use of perfumes and creams due to the health issues associated with them. It was disclosed that no institution has legal authority in this regard. The officials present pointed out that the necessary legal provisions should be made in this regard, and their institution should be given authority, according to a statement from the parliamentary communication department.

The COPE disclosed that the Waiver of Registration (WOR) Certification by the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) had been issued through a special mechanism without the approval of the formal committee.

This was disclosed during a recent meeting chaired by MP (Dr.) Nishantha Samaraweera. The meeting was held to review the Auditor General's reports for the years 2022, 2023, 2024 and current performance of the NMRA.

During the meeting, extensive discussions took place regarding the intervention of the NMRA in the emergency procurement of medicines. It was disclosed that the WOR certification had been issued through a special pathway, bypassing the formal committee approval process, utilising a fast-track mechanism.

This process has thus allowed the Chief Executive Officer to make unilateral decisions regarding emergency purchases. It was further disclosed that the Chief Executive Officer who held office in 2022 was involved in this special mechanism and that approval for the bulk purchase of medicines was sought during a dinner event held at a prominent hotel in Colombo.