THE WHAT? Indonesia’s Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) has seized more than two million illegally distributed cosmetic products, most of which were imported from China without regulatory approval.
THE DETAILS BPOM confiscated 2,082,039 units of unregistered cosmetics across 956 product lines, with an estimated value of 27.6 billion rupiah (US$1.7 million). The investigation was launched following consumer complaints received in May 2026 and initially identified 890 unregistered products totaling more than 1.8 million units. Authorities later traced the products to an importer and reseller operating from a warehouse in Tangerang, where additional stock was discovered. According to BPOM, the products entered Indonesia through unofficial import channels and were distributed primarily through e-commerce platforms without obtaining mandatory distribution permits. The agency estimates that consumers may have been exposed to products worth 22.1 billion rupiah that had not undergone safety or quality assessments, while the state incurred approximately 5.5 billion rupiah in lost tax revenue. BPOM has ordered the withdrawal of affected products and is continuing its investigation, with potential penalties of up to 12 years in prison or fines of up to 5 billion rupiah for those found responsible.
THE WHY? The enforcement action is intended to protect consumers from potentially unsafe cosmetic products, strengthen regulatory compliance in the beauty sector and combat illegal imports that bypass product safety checks and tax obligations.
Source: Antra News
