Vietnam tightens beauty standards to combat unsafe cosmetics
By embracing data analytics and digital vigilance, Vietnam can sustainably nurture its beauty boom, with Ho Chi Minh City paving the way for broader reforms.
VIETNAM – Vietnam is set to intensify oversight of the cosmetics industry as Ho Chi Minh City leads a crackdown on a surge in counterfeit beauty products.
This strategic escalation comes amid explosive growth in Vietnam’s beauty market, one of Southeast Asia’s most dynamic sectors, driven by e-commerce giants such as Facebook and Shopee.
City authorities, during a critical socio-economic review meeting, issued firm directives for heightened monitoring to shield consumers from health hazards posed by fake and substandard goods infiltrating both online and offline channels.
The move addresses deceptive sales tactics that prey on budget-conscious buyers, repackaging illicit imports as authentic deals.
A high-profile multi-province raid recently laid bare the crisis’s depth, with authorities confiscating around 25 metric tonnes of undocumented cosmetics traced back to China.
Operations zeroed in on warehouses in Hanoi and Ninh Binh, close to the Quang Ninh border, where criminals slapped on phoney anti-counterfeit seals and fabricated addresses to pass off fakes as “hand-carried,” “local,” or “clearance” stock.
These low-priced impostors flooded digital marketplaces, bypassing checks and endangering users with unregulated ingredients.
Ho Chi Minh City’s proactive stance now fuses on-ground inspections with cyber patrols to uproot these sophisticated supply chains, signalling a zero-tolerance era.
Experts underscore the limitations of Vietnam’s current post-market surveillance model, overwhelmed by market expansion. Lien T.
Lien T. To, a Vietnam-based expert with the Environment and Social Development Organization (ESDO), Vietnam’s current regulatory model is primarily focused on notifications of transgressions rather than pre-market authorization.
Lien stated, “This model places substantial reliance on post-market inspection capacity, which creates enforcement pressure when product volumes and distribution channels expand faster than inspection and laboratory testing capacity.”
Echoing this, Dr. Shahriar Hossain, ESDO secretary general, spotlighted toxic threats, stating, “Dangers like mercury, steroids, and hydroquinone in unregulated fakes demand lab testing, cross-border ties, and awareness drives.”
Their recommendations position the crackdown as a launchpad for smarter, scalable enforcement.
The Health Department and Culture and Sports Department are at the forefront, scrutinizing production, sales, and promotions while promptly delisting offenders.
In partnership with the Industry and Trade Department, e-commerce platforms face mandates to swiftly remove suspicious listings.
Priorities span unknown-origin products, outright fakes, and poor-quality items across all avenues, promising seamless, nationwide consistency.
This initiative promises to restore trust, empowering legit innovators while squeezing out bad actors.
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