Opposition lawmaker Son Chhay wrote to Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh on Tuesday asking for a careful watch over bootleg and low-quality cosmetic products, warning that they could cause permanent skin damage.
Stating that Thailand has recently warned its citizens about low-quality cosmetics, Son Chhay said that he would like Cambodia’s Ministry of Commerce now to do the same.
“I would like Excellency to create a group to inspect the quality of cosmetic products and please issue a letter to inform the public…to not use the fake cosmetics that can cause a big problem in skin health,” Son Chhay wrote.
Cham Prasidh could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Municipal health department director Veng Thai said advertisements encouraging women to bleach and peel their skin to achieve a fair-skinned ideal are manipulating people’s vanity.
“Every woman wants to be beautiful, but some people don’t know that these cosmetics can destroy their beauty,” he said.
He added that not all cosmetics are dangerous but that professionals should be consulted especially when using skin peeling treatments.
The Health Ministry is required by law to check cosmetics before they are sold on the Cambodian market, Veng Thai said.
Sapor Rendall, owner of the Sapors Model Training School, said she does not encourage her modeling students to peel, adding that some women have been hospitalized due to peels gone wrong.
“I have received a few calls from women in the city complaining that their faces were spoiled by cosmetics after strong skin peeling,” Rendall said. “If they don’t follow instructions, they may face big trouble.”
Women choose to peel and whiten because they want to retain their beauty, and their husbands, she added.
“Many women worry about losing their husbands,” Rendall said. “So they want to be whiter.”
