| SPECIAL
Adulterated cosmetics flood market  Dhaka, Dec 10 (bdnews24.com) — Adulterated cosmetics have flooded markets around the country to such an extent that the sellers themselves are unable to distinguish between the original and the adulterated.
Wholesalers claim it has become impossible to identify the correct commodity before use. They also say a number of manufacturers are defunct, but there are commodities under those brands in the market.
Adulteration is occasionally identified and the respective sellers are fined. However, the associated authorities admit their lack of skill in carrying out the task.
A worker of a cosmetic shop at the city's Moulvibazar, 'Shahjahan,' told bdnews24.com, "The cosmetics we sell in the name of the 'Ole' brand are not original."
Shahjahan's co-worker 'Rubel' named a number of lotion brands, such as Nivea, Lux, Mask, Aqua and Fadeout, and some perfume brands like Hugo, Ferrari, Poison, Royal, Havoc and Cobra, as well as some other cosmetic brands which he claimed were hardly ever originals.
He said that even though the original commodities are not available, they have to sell the adulterated goods due to the heavy demand. Rubel suggested not to buy less than half a litre of bottled oil, to avoid buying adulterated oil.
A trader, on condition of anonymity, said the goods are pirated in the city's Lalbagh and Hazaribagh areas, as well as in Kamrangir Char and Keraniganj's Ati village. He added that the goods were brought to the city's Chowkbazar and Moulvibazar markets. in association with the police. Chowkbazar police chief Mohammad Ali, however, denied the allegation.
Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institute (BSTI) official K M Hanif told bdnews24.com that a team was working on adulterated cosmetics. He also said that five traders were fined a total of Tk 600,000 during the last Ramadan.
Doctors cautioned of different skin diseases from using adulterated cosmetics. Dhaka Medical College assistant professor S M Bakhtiar Kamal told bdnews24.com that various skin diseases, including cancer, can be caused by using these adulterated products.
| 