On August 5, the Department of Drug Administration, Ministry of Health sent a document to the Department of Health of provinces and cities regarding the review of classification, announcement of the features and uses of cosmetics.
According to Dr. Ta Manh Hung - Deputy Director of the Department of Drug Administration, on April 15, 2025, the Department of Drug Administration issued Official Letter No. 1098/QLD-MP on the classification and announcement of cosmetic product characteristics to the Department of Health.
Accordingly, the classification of cosmetics and announcement of cosmetic product characteristics are carried out according to the ASEAN Guidelines on announcing cosmetic product characteristics as prescribed in Appendix No. 03-MP of Circular No. 06/2011/TT-BYT dated January 25, 2011 of the Ministry of Health regulating cosmetic management.
However, through the work of inspecting and supervising post-mseries cosmetics circulating on the market in the past, it was discovered that some domestically produced cosmetic products were not classified as cosmetics or contained some ingredients that were not in accordance with the definition of cosmetics with product declaration receipt numbers.
The Drug Administration of Vietnam has prescribed a number of products containing permethrin, while while permethrin, number of CAS: 52645-53-1 (Chemical name: (±)-3-phenoxybenzyl 3-(2.2-dichlorovinyl)-2.2-dimethylopopanecarboxylate) is an insect repellent, belonging to the family of drugs pyrethroid drugs, on the list of essential drugs of the World Health Organization, classified as an insect repellent ( decode ATC: P03AC04), in addition to insect repellent, permethrin also has the effect of treating parasites in humans, treating pests and insects in livestock;
Some products with common uses and instructions for use that cause misunderstanding are drugs;
Some sunscreens, labelled with the sun protection factor SPF (Sun Protection Factor), have sun protection effects that are not in accordance with the instructions of the ASEAN Cosmetic Agreement.
To ensure the safety of users and comply with regulations on cosmetic management, the Drug Administration of the provinces and cities requests the Departments of Health to review the Cosmetic Product Declaration Fills that have been granted receipt numbers to ensure compliance with regulations on cosmetic classification and cosmetic product declaration according to the instructions in Appendix 03-MP of Circular No. 06/2011/TT-BYT;
Revoking the receipt number of the issued cosmetic product declaration form for products not classified as cosmetics or incorrectly recording the inherent characteristics of the cosmetic product or declaring the characteristics and uses that cause misunderstanding that they are drugs.
Fully update the instructions of the ASEAN Cosmetic Council, the list of substances not allowed to be used in cosmetic products, the list of substances with regulations on concentration and content in cosmetic products, the list of colorants allowed to be used in cosmetic products, the list of preservatives allowed to be used in cosmetic products, the list of foreign radioactive filters in cosmetic products; disseminate to production and trading establishments in the area, ensuring only the circulation of cosmetic products according to regulations.
At the same time, strictly handle and punish organizations and individuals who violate the activities of advertising, producing and trading cosmetics according to current regulations; recall and destroy all types of cosmetics that do not ensure safety for users.
