Be careful when purchasing cosmetic products - Dr Hilmi

Its deputy minister, Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya said that every item that had the ministry's approval had a hologram that could be detected by a scanner on the packaging.

"Every shop has the scanner and buyers can scan the product. If the hologram does not appear, it means that the item does not have the ministry's approval. I urge everyone to be careful as selling of fake cosmetics via the Internet is on the rise," he told a press conference, here, today.

Recently, a picture of a woman's face that was left burnt after using a cosmetic product purchased online went viral on the social media, sparking concerns over the safety of cosmetic products purchased online.

Following that incident, the ministry banned 10 products, namely Melan: Off Intensive Mask, Melan: Off Cream, Afrina Night Cream, Afrina Daily Cream, Krim Herba Kemboja, Day Pinky Cream, Night Glow Cream, Debella Nadien Glow Night Cream, Mekar Semilu Scrub Muka Mutiara Beauty Collection and Mekar Semilu Cream Mekarsutra.

All the banned cosmetics were issued a notice to recall them in the market within 72 hours and investigated under the Control of Drugs and Cosmetics Regulations 1984.

"Be careful, make sure the product has been guaranteed to be safe by the Health Ministry before purchasing it," Dr Hilmi said.

Meanwhile, he debunked the claims that hospitals were running out of reagents due to the budget cut and advised the people not to panic over the claims spread in the social media.

"It is not true. The ministry has enough money and if the hospitals require more reagents, their superiors can write to us. We will approve it. The worry should not arise," he said.

As for the Zika virus spread, Dr Hilmi said the country was still on high alert but so far, there were no new cases recorded.

"We are constantly monitoring the situation and regular checks are still being conducted at all entry points," he said.