Imports of cosmetics, personal care products subject to safety regulation from August 1
SAFETY MEASURES: Potentially thousands of products to be covered by new measures in compliance with Gulf and Omani standards and specs
Thousands of different types of cosmetics and personal care products imported into the Sultanate will be brought under the strict purview of the GCC and Omani standards and specifications with effect from August 1, 2021 — a move aimed at ensuring that all such goods are safe for use by consumers.
Accordingly, importers of cosmetics and personal care products will be required to submit technical information about their merchandise when routing their goods through Customs, an official of the
Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion (MOCIIP) said.
This comes in line with the implementation of Ministerial Decision No 128/2019, that is considering the Gulf standard specifications for safety requirements in cosmetics as an obligatory Omani specification in terms of regulating imports and ensuring their safety for use by the consumer in whatever related to personal care requirements and cosmetics.
Hiba bint Yasser al Mazrouei, a chemical products quality control specialist in the Directorate-general of Standards and Metrology at the ministry, noted that the new guidelines represent the second stage of the rollout of specifications governing the import of cosmetics and personal care products.
The latest measure will cover the following: All cosmetic and personal care products (other than products for rinsing), products to be used on the skin (face, body, hand, feet, etc) such as creams, emulsions, lotions, jelly/buttery gels, oils and serums.
It also includes oral and dental care products, which fall under: various types of toothpastes, mouthwash products and perfumes, in addition to cosmetic products for using on hair (head, face, beard), such as: hair dyes of all kinds, products for curling, straightening and fixing hair, products for strengthening and reviving hair such as oils, creams, etc, hair decoration products, hair cleaning products, hair shaping products, sun protection products of all kinds, deodorants and antiperspirants.
“In accordance with the regulations and procedures prepared by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, represented by the Directorategeneral of Standards and Metrology, importers must also submit technical documents through the ministry’s platforms for approval some time before shipments arrive in order to avoid the challenges of delays at border ports,” she added.