Kamruzzaman Bablu :
The city markets are flooded with various fake and substandard cosmetic products ahead of Eid while consumers are bearing the brunt of them.
Due to the adulterated cosmetic items, consumers suffer from skin and other diseases. Some unscrupulous manufacturers and traders are gaining the upper hand and making a brisk business during the Eid shopping.
Visiting different markets of the city, this correspondent found a lot of fake and substandard items including perfumes, moisturizers, nail polish, lipsticks, lotion, face wash, soaps, powders, shampoo, bleach, hair dyes, conditioners, oil, depilatories and shaving creams along-with numerous commodities.
The products are being sold without any seal or brand labels from their manufacturers while some are being sold using names and logos similar to popular national and international brands.
The super shops, shopping complex and other open markets including New Market, Gulistan, Sadarghat, Mitford, Jatrabari, Elephant Road, Mirpur, Rajdhani Market, Farmgate, Motijheel, Mohammadpur, Banani and other markets in the city are flooded with such products.
Local traders buy them from different markets of the city and sell all over the country.
Health professionals said most cosmetic items are low quality and produced by harmful chemicals and their use are harmful to skin and hair.
These can cause pimple, itching, hair loss, swelling, pigmentation and even skin cancer, they added.
“Using dangerous chemicals in cosmetics items are detrimental to health although we do not know actually what chemicals are used to produce them,” said Dr Md Mafizur Rahman, associate professor of National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital.
“Besides, some skin-brightening creams contain chemicals that create an extra layer on the skin to prevent contacts with sunlight, which can have adverse effect in the longer run. It can lead to skin cancer,” the doctor also added.
Meanwhile, some traders produce counterfeit products of popular brands using poor quality materials while a huge amount of cheap cosmetic products are imported from India, China, Taiwan, Thailand and Middle Eastern countries including Soudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait and Oman.
Anisur Rahman, a wholesaler of Chawkbazar, said all of their products are imported from India. A large number of wholesalers have been selling Indian products at cheaper prices.
“However, we know some unscrupulous traders make substandard cosmetics, but we do not buy their products. Some dealers come here to sell their products but we refuse them. As our products are sold across the country, we try to sell the best of them.”
Md Sarwar Alam, executive magistrate of RAB, said it is a big problem that some unscrupulous manufacturers produce fake cosmetics here.
“We have operated at least six drives and fined a huge sum this year. After our operations, the number of those adulterated products came down.”
“Big and small different factories are in old Dhaka including Keraniganj, Kamrangirchar and Mitford area. Even after facing penalty, they do not stop. They resume their activities.”
The official added that the fake cosmetics have made their ways to outside Dhaka as well.
“We operated drive in Natore and seized huge fake cosmetics and fined Tk12 lakh in January.”
A retailer in the capital’s New Market, Nasir Hossain said they have both superior and low quality of products as they have to serve customers of different levels.
Rezwanur Rahman Mithila, a post-graduate student, said: “I use various cosmetics as per my desire. I go to beauty parlour once in every month, but after going through beautification process, I experience skin problems.”
Growing pimples is a common problem experienced by all parlour goers, she said, adding that skin pigmentation is also lost at early age.
The city markets are flooded with various fake and substandard cosmetic products ahead of Eid while consumers are bearing the brunt of them.
Due to the adulterated cosmetic items, consumers suffer from skin and other diseases. Some unscrupulous manufacturers and traders are gaining the upper hand and making a brisk business during the Eid shopping.
Visiting different markets of the city, this correspondent found a lot of fake and substandard items including perfumes, moisturizers, nail polish, lipsticks, lotion, face wash, soaps, powders, shampoo, bleach, hair dyes, conditioners, oil, depilatories and shaving creams along-with numerous commodities.
The products are being sold without any seal or brand labels from their manufacturers while some are being sold using names and logos similar to popular national and international brands.
The super shops, shopping complex and other open markets including New Market, Gulistan, Sadarghat, Mitford, Jatrabari, Elephant Road, Mirpur, Rajdhani Market, Farmgate, Motijheel, Mohammadpur, Banani and other markets in the city are flooded with such products.
Local traders buy them from different markets of the city and sell all over the country.
Health professionals said most cosmetic items are low quality and produced by harmful chemicals and their use are harmful to skin and hair.
These can cause pimple, itching, hair loss, swelling, pigmentation and even skin cancer, they added.
“Using dangerous chemicals in cosmetics items are detrimental to health although we do not know actually what chemicals are used to produce them,” said Dr Md Mafizur Rahman, associate professor of National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital.
“Besides, some skin-brightening creams contain chemicals that create an extra layer on the skin to prevent contacts with sunlight, which can have adverse effect in the longer run. It can lead to skin cancer,” the doctor also added.
Meanwhile, some traders produce counterfeit products of popular brands using poor quality materials while a huge amount of cheap cosmetic products are imported from India, China, Taiwan, Thailand and Middle Eastern countries including Soudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait and Oman.
Anisur Rahman, a wholesaler of Chawkbazar, said all of their products are imported from India. A large number of wholesalers have been selling Indian products at cheaper prices.
“However, we know some unscrupulous traders make substandard cosmetics, but we do not buy their products. Some dealers come here to sell their products but we refuse them. As our products are sold across the country, we try to sell the best of them.”
Md Sarwar Alam, executive magistrate of RAB, said it is a big problem that some unscrupulous manufacturers produce fake cosmetics here.
“We have operated at least six drives and fined a huge sum this year. After our operations, the number of those adulterated products came down.”
“Big and small different factories are in old Dhaka including Keraniganj, Kamrangirchar and Mitford area. Even after facing penalty, they do not stop. They resume their activities.”
The official added that the fake cosmetics have made their ways to outside Dhaka as well.
“We operated drive in Natore and seized huge fake cosmetics and fined Tk12 lakh in January.”
A retailer in the capital’s New Market, Nasir Hossain said they have both superior and low quality of products as they have to serve customers of different levels.
Rezwanur Rahman Mithila, a post-graduate student, said: “I use various cosmetics as per my desire. I go to beauty parlour once in every month, but after going through beautification process, I experience skin problems.”
Growing pimples is a common problem experienced by all parlour goers, she said, adding that skin pigmentation is also lost at early age.
