Thailand
Cambodia: Counterfeit beauty products bad for the body and for business
This week the IP Key South-East Asia (SEA) project, funded by the European Union (EU), launched the second phase of the “Your Health Is Priceless” campaign to promote consumer awareness and avoidance of counterfeit cosmetics and personal care products, including beauty goods such as skincare and face injections.
The cosmetic sector in Cambodia is projected to reach $13 million this year with the average person expected to spend around $9.60 on self-care products. But with the market growing there are more fake and dangerous products being put into circulation as scammers look to make a quick buck. Unscrupulous business practices, such as fraud in quality, quantity and price gouging put consumers at considerable risk. Counterfeit products are addressed as a serious problem in the Kingdom and are routinely confiscated and disposed of by burning throughout the year.
In November the government destroyed 540.7 tonnes of counterfeit medicines, cosmetics and other products that had been seized throughout the year, the Cambodia Counter-Counterfeit Committee reported. According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), at least 63 percent of the world’s fake goods originate from China.
Nevertheless, some nations across Southeast Asia are also infamous for producing, trading and trafficking counterfeit products. Some of these countries include Asean member states Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Penn Sovicheat, the undersecretary of state and spokesperson at the Ministry of Commerce (MoC), warned that consumers and sellers need to be vigilant when it comes to buying and selling cosmetics.
For these beauty products to legally enter the market in the Kingdom they need to be registered with both the Ministry of Health (MoH) and MoC to protect people’s health and to ensure that no intellectual property laws are broken.“Cosmetic products sold legally in Cambodia have to be registered with the MoH and be accompanied by [relevant)] documents proving their quality, safety and efficacy.
In some cases, the proper papers on clinical tests are also needed if the product claims it is effective in the curing of any skin ailments. As for the protection of intellectual property rights for trademarks or brand name products, if they are well known and registered, they will be protected under the International Protection Laws (IPL) of the Kingdom of Cambodia.”
The MoC is the government body [that] administers and enforces those laws along with other relevant authorities. “The ministry welcomes and supports trading activities of genuine products that uphold the quality of consumer goods [standards] that protect consumer rights, especially in this case of cosmetic products. Quality and safety are key,” said Sovicheat. He explained that a big problem governments face with counterfeit cosmetics is how easy it is to sell and transport them.
People need to be fully aware of bogus cosmetic brands’ harmful effects, be wary of unreliable online promotions and buy only from legitimate sources.“We notice that many products [purchased] on sale online are [proving] difficult for consumers [in verifying] their sources, identification or brand name and most consumers do not check if the products are registered with the Ministry of Health.”
Ultimately, it is the level of trust from the consumer as well as good marketing and sales techniques from the sellers that keeps these types of businesses going. “We [have] observed that consumer awareness in our country is still low. People tend to believe what they have [seen on] Facebook or in online marketing. This situation provides the opportunity for counterfeit products to sneak into the market.
It is [particularly] dangerous for cosmetic products, because their low quality could affect consumers’ health.With this [in mind], the ministry, through the application of the recently adopted Consumer Protection Law, encourages people to [trust] only products with proper trademark(s)/brand name(s) and, in the case of cosmetics, that the products have been properly registered with the Ministry of Health,” Sovicheat concluded.
The first phase of the “Your Health Is Priceless” campaign was launched in September and provided information about the harmful effects of counterfeit pharmaceutical products as well as calling for action against selling, purchasing and consuming them. “This IP Key SEA campaign aims to continue raising public awareness of this issue by initiating dialogues on intellectual property rights, including trademark protection.
Trademarks protect consumers against confusion, deception and misleading information, help them distinguish genuine products from counterfeit ones and guarantee product quality. An efficient trademark protection system can prevent people from being exposed to dangerous substances and could save their lives,” said Tiago Guerreiro, IP Key SEA project leader. “Local authorities in Southeast Asia are currently undertaking efforts to prevent the trafficking of counterfeit beauty products and protect consumers from the harmful effects that these products cause. Through the IP Key SEA project, the EU fully supports this mission throughout the region,” he added.
A popular choice for purchasing cosmetics in Cambodia is the local market. Many stall owners earn their living selling beauty products and markets are also home to many small beauty salons. Khmer Times spoke to some sellers at the markets and the merchants spoken to, explained that with their margins tight, they look for the best prices but they cannot always be certain that the products they sell are genuine. Srey Pov, owner of a beauty salon at Phnom Penh’s Olympic market, said: “I have had my salon open for the last three years. We buy a lot of our products from Thailand and Vietnam and they are delivered on the bus. I have never had any complaints from customers and the products seem good quality.
However, I cannot confidently say that the products have always been genuine.” A shopper at Olympic market, who introduced herself as Sok Duchdy, explained that she had fallen victim to fake products both online and at one of the markets in Phnom Penh. “I bought some makeup at one of the stalls in the market and it caused my eyes to burn. The product must have been fake because I use the same product all the time and have never felt anything like that before.
I am now very wary where I buy things because there are so many counterfeit products around. I see a lot of beauty products being sold on social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram and the prices always seem very low compared with the prices of genuine goods. People need to be careful and do some research before they commit to buying anything,” Duchdy said.
Cambodian E-commerce Federation President Ley Sopheap recently said there is a free course for any merchants who want to become aware of up-to-date information on the laws surrounding counterfeit goods. “Traders and those who import goods to the market ought to learn about the law and ethics and be aware of how the sale of illegitimate or faulty goods impacts consumers. I’ve started a free course that touches on the laws concerning the trafficking of such goods,” he said.
Source: https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50794694/counterfeit-beauty-products-bad-for-the-body-and-for-business/