Indonesia's BPOM seizes over 2 million illegal cosmetics

Indonesia’s Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) seized 2,082,039 units of unregistered cosmetics, the majority imported from China and valued at roughly 27.6 billion rupiah. The products were found in a warehouse in Kelapa Dua, Tangerang, Banten, and involved 956 distinct items.

BPOM chief Taruna Ikrar said the illegal imports bypassed taxes, costing the state an estimated 5.5 billion rupiah and potentially harming consumers, with material losses to the public estimated at 22.1 billion rupiah. Two suspects – an importer and a reseller – were identified, and the cosmetics were distributed widely through e‑commerce platforms without required distribution permits. BPOM announced withdrawals of the affected products and warned that violators face up to 12 years imprisonment or fines up to 5 billion rupiah.