Watch out for knockoffs, producers warn

Andra Wisnu ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Wed, 06/24/2009 11:36 AM  |  City

The public should keep an eye out for counterfeit cosmetic products, an NGO warns, saying the recent withdrawal of dozens of such items by the Food and Drugs Monitoring Agency (BPOM) has not completely eliminated them from the market.

The Indonesian People Against Forgeries (MIAP) warns that counterfeiters have reacted quickly to the BPOM's moves to pull counterfeit products off shelves, thus necessitating heightened watchfulness by the public.

"We've seen counterfeiters back in business only two months after law enforcers pulled their products from the market," MIAP head Widyaretna Buenastuti said Friday in Jakarta.

Her warning came after the BPOM withdrew 70 cosmetics earlier this month, after discovering they contained harmful ingredients.

Most of the products contained mercury, hydroquinone, retinoic acid, red dyeing agent K.3 (CL15585), red dyeing agent K.10 (Rhodamine B) and purple dyeing agent K.1 (CL 12075) - which are dyeing agents used mostly for textiles, paper and ink - all of them harmful to health.

The banned products included 18 makeup products, 44 skin care items and seven kinds of toiletries, most of them hair dyes.

Other banned products included knockoffs of popular brands such as Unilever's Pond's Age Miracle Day and Night Cream and P&G's Olay Whitening Cream.

PT Unilever Indonesia head of corporate affairs, Maria D. Dwianto, admitted that counterfeit products would continue to be sold, despite the government's attempt to crack down on the practice.

"Stores should make sure the products have a BPOM registration number and that the product names are exactly the same as the ones that producers distribute," she said.

P&G Indonesia PR director, Bambang Sumaryanto, agreed.

"Olay stopped selling Olay TW cream more than a year ago," he said, referring to one of the withdrawn knockoffs.

The MIAP's Widyaretna also urged the government to keep rooting out counterfeit products that she said caused state losses.

She cited a study by the University of Indonesia that said counterfeit products had deprived the state of up to Rp 3.3 billion (US$320,100) in value-added tax (VAT) and Rp 2.1 trillion in GDP in 2002.

"Our own studies show counterfeit cosmetics cause state losses of Rp 50 billion to Rp 400 billion each year," she said.

Tips to avoid fake cosmetics

Most fake cosmetics are extremely cheap, with counterfeiters palming them off as promotional or bargain sale items.

Well-known products are registered with the BPOM. Counterfeiters tend to say their products are not registered because they are imported directly from China or elsewhere.

Several counterfeiters hike the prices of knockoff cosmetics to avoid suspicion. Check the packaging's condition and design, and whether the name is also correct, by checking with the producers.

For Olay, call 0800 1402 869. For Pond's, call 0800 155 8000.

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