TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
BPOM wants to rein in food, cosmetic influencers to prevent ‘chaos’
The influencer business has been tarnished by a recent case that has gone viral in which an actress and her assistant reportedly extorted a skincare business owner to the tune of Rp 4 billion.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Illustration of a social media influencer at work. (Shutterstock/paulaphoto)
T
he Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) has demanded rules for social media influencers amid concerns about their credibility in reviewing products that could harm consumers and businesses.
The BPOM initially conveyed a plan to formulate a regulation in February after it found an increasing number of unlicensed cosmetics being distributed in the country, which the agency attributed partly to more consumers buying products online, lured by reviews from influencers.
BPOM head Taruna Ikrar said influencers needed to be subject to reviewing guidelines to prevent them from causing “public chaos”.
“Don’t think that influencers are always right,” Taruna said during a press conference on Feb. 21.
Read also: BPOM seizes illegal cosmetics promoted by social media influencers
The influencer business has been tarnished by a recent case that has gone viral in which actress Nikita Mirzani and her assistant reportedly extorted a skincare business owner to the tune of Rp 4 billion [US$245,850].
Disputes between well-known food bloggers and business owners have also recently stirred up social media, such as the one between vlogger William Anderson, or Codeblu (@codebluuuu), and cake shop Clairmont.
