On October 19, 2026, the Indonesia Food and Drug Authority (BPOM) announced in a press release that on October 8, 2026, it had taken enforcement action against an illegal cosmetics production facility in Mojokerto City, East Java Province, with items seized at the scene having an economic value of over Rp16 billion.
Basic Information
Violations: the facility had not obtained a business permit in the cosmetics sector and constitutes an illegal production facility; according to the release, it had been operating as an illegal cosmetics production site since 2021.
Items seized at the scene: production equipment such as mixers, filling machines, and coding machines, as well as raw materials, semi-finished products, and packaging materials.
Products involved: face creams, lotions, and toners, all in plain packaging with no markings or labels, and none had obtained marketing authorization.
Detected Pharmaceutical Active Ingredients and Prohibited Components
According to the release, six pharmaceutical active ingredients were seized at the scene; in addition, BPOM took samples of both the finished and semi-finished products and conducted laboratory testing, and prohibited ingredients were detected:
- Pharmaceutical active ingredients: Dexamethasone, Clindamycin phosphate, Triamcinolone acetonide, Metronidazole, Betamethasone dipropionate, and Mometasone furoate.
- Prohibited components: Retinoic acid, Dexamethasone, Hydroquinone, and Mometasone furoate.
In the release, BPOM listed the health risks of the detected ingredients. Among them, Retinoic acid, Dexamethasone, and Hydroquinone are ingredients explicitly prohibited or strictly regulated under the cosmetics regulations of most countries and regions:
- Retinoic acid: it can cause skin dryness and a burning sensation; use by pregnant women may affect the fetus and is teratogenic.
- Dexamethasone: it can cause contact dermatitis, acne, and skin redness, and reduce hormone secretion.
- Hydroquinone: it can cause skin darkenin and may cause discoloration of the cornea and nails.
Enforcement Measures and Legal Liability
On-site handling: BPOM has sealed all items seized at the facility in place, and sampled the finished and semi-finished products for laboratory testing.
Administrative sanctions: the facility involved may be subject to administrative sanctions in accordance with regulations, including destruction of the products.
Criminal liability: under Law No. 17 of 2023 on Health, producing or distributing illegal and non-compliant products is punishable by up to 12 years of imprisonment or a fine of up to Rp5 billion.
CIRS Reminder
- Verify production and marketing qualifications: when exporting or selling cosmetics in Indonesia, confirm that the production facility has obtained a business permit in the cosmetics sector and that the products have obtained BPOM marketing authorization, and avoid engaging unqualified contract manufacturers;
- Strictly control formulas and ingredients: check one by one whether the formulas contain ingredients prohibited under Indonesian cosmetics regulations;
- Standardize labeling: products must have complete packaging and labels and must not leave the factory in unmarked plain packaging;
- Ensure channel compliance: when supplying to professional channels such as beauty clinics, retain complete qualification and distribution records for regulatory traceability.
If you need any assistance or have any questions, please get in touch with us via service@cirs-group.com.
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