Any brand, any price
Just by searching online, consumers can easily find hundreds of results for any beauty product, with significant price differences. A genuine exfoliating bottle advertised as genuine costs from 330,000 VND to 550,000 VND. Sellers often cite "sale" or "hand-carried" as reasons to explain the price difference. However, the reliability of the product's origin is not guaranteed.
A Facebook account named "H.T.M" claims to specialize in providing genuine cosmetics at "outside-system wholesale and retail" prices. When contacting via Zalo, customers are introduced to many products from famous brands such as Cosrx, SVR, Spring Leaf... with a total value of just over 1 million VND. However, when asked to come to the store to see directly or present invoices and documents, the seller refused on the grounds that the goods are in stock and not on display.
When contacting via Zalo number 097103xxxx, the shop owner confirmed that the product was genuine, but when the customer wanted to come to the store to buy and see it directly, the shop owner was hesitant and refused.
Continuously detect counterfeit and pirated goods
In late 2024, in Bac Giang City, the authorities inspected a cosmetics warehouse on Nguyen Du Street, Hoang Van Thu Ward and discovered more than 27,000 products including skin cream, sunscreen, lipstick, perfume... made in China, with a total value of more than 658 million VND. The warehouse owner could not present legal documents or invoices. Market Management Team No. 1 temporarily detained all goods for handling according to regulations.
In the early days of 2025, Market Management Team No. 3 (Da Nang) suddenly inspected a business household in Thanh Khe district, temporarily seizing nearly 3,300 smuggled and counterfeit cosmetic products of the GUCCI brand, worth more than 40 million VND. All goods had no legal invoices or documents. The team temporarily seized the violating goods and completed the dossier for handling according to regulations.
Dr. Nguyen Tien Thanh - Vietnam Dermatology Association - said that many cases of complications due to the use of poor quality cosmetics have been recorded. Products containing corticosteroids or strong detergents cause skin peeling, thinning, and even irreversible damage. Many customers have severe allergies, while advertisements promise perfect results such as "white skin after 7 days" or "100% effective acne treatment".
Strictly manage cosmetics on social networks
"One of the prominent problems is the sale of cosmetics of unknown origin on social networks. Many users of this social network encounter advertised products with promises of "whitening skin in just 7 days", "100% effective acne treatment" or "cheap hand-carried cosmetics". However, when buying and using, many customers have faced serious consequences such as allergies, skin irritation, and even serious damage" - Dr. Nguyen Tien Thanh said.
The Drug Administration of Vietnam - Ministry of Health requires the Departments of Health and cosmetic businesses to strengthen inspection and handling of violations in the field of cosmetics. Through the review, many businesses declared non-existent phone numbers, stopped operating or did not belong to a legal representative. Some businesses changed their business address but did not update the information, causing the product recall documents to be returned and making inspection difficult.
The inspection team had to ask the police and local authorities for help in verifying headquarters and contact information several times. Some organizations did not keep complete product files (PIF) at their registered addresses, hindering the inspection process.
The Drug Administration of Vietnam requires focusing on inspecting cases of failure to notify recalls and changes in business addresses without reporting. Inspection activities will focus on cosmetics sold on e-commerce platforms and social networks such as TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube to detect illegal, fake, or unknown products.
Violations will be strictly handled, including recalling and destroying substandard cosmetics. Enterprises must accurately and honestly declare information in the Declaration Form and are only allowed to circulate cosmetics after being granted a receipt number, and are responsible for product quality and safety. The authorities will conduct post-sales inspections to ensure consumer rights.
