Staff Reporter :
The fake cosmetics under the names of reputed local and international brands are now being sold even in up markets in the capital cashing the customers belief and confidence, as they usually believe that they wouldn’t be deprived of from these Super Shops.
The shop owners of Mostafa Mart at Bashundhara Shopping Centre and other posh markets in the city sell foreign sub-standard cosmetics labeling different reputed brands.
On information, the officials of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) on Monday raided the Mostafa Mart of Bashundhara Shopping Centre and found many adulterated cosmetics and toiletries.
The DNCRP fined the Super Shop Almas, Mostafa Mart, BBB, Selvi Cosmetics, Neur Cosmetics and Irin Fashion.
The first three shops were fined at Tk 100,000 each and rest of the three at Tk 50,000, 50,000 and 10,000 respectively.
Deputy Director (Dhaka Divisional Office) of the DNCRP Manzur Mohammad Shahriar who led the team, told The New Nation that the shops betrayed with the customers’ belief. “The customers buy their products blindly. But they provide substandard cosmetics. We will shut down all the shops if such products find in future,” he said.
“The shop owners use label of different popular brands on the products and sale those at high prices as the original one. Most of the products are being made in Keraniganj, Jinjira and Chawkbazar,” he said.
Meanwhile, adulterated cosmetics and toiletries under the names of reputed local and international brands have flooded the markets across the country making the consumers vulnerable to different forms of skin diseases and other complications.
The substandard cosmetics and toiletries items are sold publicly as the customers cannot immediately differentiate between fake and real products.
Taking the advantage of lax monitoring by law enforcement agencies, a section of unscrupulous businessmen are producing and selling those fake and substandard beauty products in a bid to earn hefty profits.
Sources said, traders supply fake cosmetics to shops in different markets and elsewhere in the country after tagging labels of reputed local and international brands.
These items are also sold from footpaths, added the sources.
According to experts, these cosmetics, made with harmful chemicals, can cause serious harm to skin and hair instead of serving the purpose of enhancing beauty. These substances can cause itching, hair loss, swelling, pigmentation and even skin cancer.
It was learnt that most of the fake cosmetic factories are situated in Companyganj, Jinjira, Kalindi of Keraniganj area, Chawkbazar, Begumbazar, Rahmatganj, Kamalbagh, Khaz-e-Dewan, Islambag, Debidas Ghat, Boro Katra, Chhoto Katra and Kamrangirchar areas.
Fake beauty products like face creams, face powder, soap, lotion, shampoo, snow, cream, powder, face-wash, lipstick, nail polish, nail-polish remover, liquid makeup etc. are being produced in these factories.
The syndicates are using labels of reputed international and local brands including Lakme, L’Oréal, Kiss, Dove, Clear, Pantene, Head & Shoulders, Garnier, Johnson and Johnson, Nivea, and Unilever on their fake products.
Later, those products are sent to Chawkbazar, the capital’s largest wholesale market, for sale.
When contacted, Dr A K Lutful Kabir, Associate Professor of Department of Pharmaceutical Technology at Dhaka University, told The New Nation, “The chemical ingredients of beauty products penetrate into our bloodstream through various glands of our skin.”
“Cosmetics those are adulterated or made with toxic chemicals are harmful for the human body. These can even cause cancer. Being the main consumers of cosmetics products, women are more vulnerable to the harmful effects of fake beauty products,” he said.
