Illegal online cosmetics trade faces mounting international enforcement

Indonesian and Jordanian authorities are ramping up their enforcement actions against illegal cosmetics sold online. The respective moves signal a growing recognition of the role e-commerce plays in the global circulation of harmful beauty. 

In Indonesia, the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) is strengthening its cyber intelligence capabilities to track online sellers of illegal cosmetics. The move comes as regulators admitted online sales have become the primary distribution channel for cosmetic products that violate regulations.

Meanwhile, Jordanian authorities have seized approximately five metric tonnes of counterfeit cosmetics in a large-scale operation. The authorities note that the seizure disrupted approximately 70% of the country’s illegal online supply.

In the past few years, online retailers and their expanding product listings have significantly grown, and with that, consumer purchasing habits have changed, too. As digital tools become increasingly intertwined with how beauty products are discovered and purchased, ensuring safe listings has been a growing concern in the industry.

For beauty brands operating legally, counterfeit products tarnish trust and credibility, and ultimately eat into their sales. For consumers, widespread availability of fake or unregulated cosmetics could pose health threats, as these products dodge safety rules.

Policing cyber cosmetics

Taruna Ikrar, head of the BPOM, says that Indonesia’s cosmetic compliance supervision will no longer rely solely on field inspections. The agency says it will increase both its intelligence work and cybersecurity measures to monitor the online trade of cosmetics more effectively. 

As online sales of noncompliant cosmetics outpace those from physical channels, the BPOM says that enforcement will be challenging. Sellers operating on digital platforms can quickly switch accounts, change product names, or open new online stores. 

“Third-party sellers may try to counter [flagged listings] by changing or deliberately misspelling the name of the product, adding letters to it, or omitting the name of the (prohibited) brand altogether, thereby creating the problem of repeat offenders,” Michael Bender, international co-coordinator at the ZMWG, previously told Personal Care Insights.

To tackle the issue, the BPOM is implementing a three-pillared approach. It will focus on public education, enforcement actions against business operators, and enhanced digital monitoring.

Indonesia’s BPOM is strengthening its cyber intelligence capabilities to track illegal cosmetics sold online.While the agency has already taken action against several problematic cosmetic products, Taruna did not specify the number of products, brands, or business actors affected.

The agency is also urging the public to be more cautious when buying cosmetics online, particularly those that lack clear distribution permits or seem “too good to be true.”

Dismantling core supply

Meanwhile, the Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA), collaborating with the country’s security forces, has carried out an enforcement operation targeting what it believes to be its primary supply chain of unauthorized and counterfeit cosmetics. According to local reporting, the bust includes products bearing global brand names.

Inspectors tracked shipping data, social media pages, and delivery companies, and found three retail shops and their associated warehouses. These locations were raided and identified as the main distribution hubs for products that were being promoted across dozens of social media pages. 

According to the JFDA, online sellers had purchased large quantities of the counterfeit goods at low prices and were reselling them digitally. By targeting what they believe to be the main source of the supply chain, the regulator estimates that it has successfully disrupted around 70% of the stream of counterfeit cosmetics flowing to online platforms in Jordan. 

The seized cosmetics have been confiscated for destruction, the three commercial facilities have been closed, and those involved have been sent for legal action. Investigations are also reportedly still ongoing and aim to locate and permanently shut down any remaining sources.