JAKARTA – Indonesia’s Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) has withdrawn market authorization for 21 cosmetic products following discoveries that manufacturers altered product compositions without updating their official registrations. The enforcement action, announced by BPOM Director Taruna Ikrar on August 23, 2025, targets companies that deviated from their approved formulations while maintaining original product labeling and marketing claims.

Systematic Investigation Uncovers Industry Violations

The regulatory crackdown emerged from BPOM’s intensified surveillance program, which combines routine market monitoring with social media trend analysis to identify potential safety concerns. Agency investigators discovered that several cosmetic manufacturers had modified their product formulations without submitting required notification updates, creating discrepancies between registered compositions and actual product contents.

According to BPOM’s findings, the violations primarily involve contract manufacturing arrangements where production facilities altered ingredient specifications or concentrations without proper authorization. These changes resulted in products containing different active ingredients, varying concentration levels, or both compared to their officially registered formulations.

Health Risks and Consumer Safety Concerns

The composition discrepancies create significant health risks for consumers, particularly those with specific ingredient sensitivities or allergies. When product labels fail to accurately reflect actual contents, consumers cannot make informed decisions about potential allergic reactions or adverse effects from undisclosed ingredients.

BPOM officials emphasized that formulation changes can also compromise product efficacy, potentially rendering cosmetics ineffective for their claimed purposes. This dual concern encompasses both immediate safety risks and longer-term consumer protection issues related to product performance and truthful advertising.

The agency’s investigation revealed that most violations occurred in products manufactured through third-party production contracts, suggesting systemic challenges in maintaining quality control and regulatory compliance across complex manufacturing networks.

Legal Framework and Enforcement Measures

The discovered violations constitute breaches of BPOM Regulation Number 21 of 2022 regarding Cosmetic Notification Procedures, which requires manufacturers to maintain consistency between registered formulations and actual product compositions. This regulation establishes clear standards for ingredient disclosure and manufacturing compliance.

BPOM responded with comprehensive administrative sanctions including permit revocations for all 21 identified products and mandatory recall orders requiring manufacturers to remove affected products from market circulation and destroy remaining inventory. These measures ensure complete removal of non-compliant products while sending clear messages about regulatory enforcement.

Comprehensive Product List and Brand Impact

The enforcement action affects diverse cosmetic categories and multiple brands, demonstrating the widespread nature of formulation compliance issues across Indonesia’s beauty industry. Affected products include facial care items, cleansing products, and specialized treatments from various manufacturers.

Facial Care Products: Multiple brands including AAC Face Tonic AHA, AAC Day Cream with Brightener, and AMIRADERM Glowing Night Cream Series faced revocation due to ingredient discrepancies in their anti-aging and brightening formulations.

Treatment Products: Specialized items such as DR. LANE Face Toner For Acne Prone Skin, DR. LANE Reti-Lane Whitening Serum, and DR. LANE Soft Peeling were withdrawn following discovery of unauthorized active ingredient modifications.

Color Cosmetics: Products including BRIGHT & ROSE COSMETICS Matte Lip Cream and METARA Fun Matte Super Mild Lip Cream faced permit cancellation due to formulation inconsistencies affecting color and texture properties.

Personal Care Items: The enforcement extended to products like TERATU BEAUTY Miracle Deo Antiperspirant Spray and EUROMEDICA Todd Oldham Spring Silk Tree Bergamot Eau de Toilette, indicating violations across multiple cosmetic categories.

Complete MECO Brand Line: The entire MECO product range, including cleansing milk varieties (Citrus, Rose, Cucumber), beauty lotion, lightening cream, pearl cream, and face toner products, lost market authorization due to systematic formulation violations.

Industry Accountability and Manufacturing Standards

The enforcement action highlights ongoing challenges in maintaining consistent manufacturing standards across Indonesia’s cosmetic industry, particularly in contract manufacturing arrangements. BPOM’s discovery of widespread violations suggests the need for enhanced oversight of third-party production facilities and stronger quality assurance protocols.

The agency’s approach emphasizes manufacturer responsibility for maintaining accurate product registrations and ensuring that any formulation changes undergo proper notification procedures. This accountability framework protects consumers while supporting legitimate manufacturers who comply with regulatory requirements.

Regulatory Surveillance and Detection Methods

BPOM’s ability to identify these violations demonstrates sophisticated surveillance capabilities that combine laboratory testing with market intelligence gathering. The agency’s monitoring of social media discussions and consumer complaints provides early warning systems for potential product safety issues.

The systematic nature of the investigation suggests BPOM’s commitment to comprehensive market oversight rather than isolated product testing. This approach helps identify patterns of non-compliance while deterring future violations through visible enforcement actions.