MUSCAT: The second phase of implementing the specification on cosmetic and personal care products will start on August 1, the Ministry of Commerce , Industry and Investment Promotion (MoCIIP) said.

As per the rule, importers must submit the technical documents of the registered products. 

This comes in line with the implementation of Ministerial Decision No. 128/2019, that consider the Gulf standard specifications for safety requirements in cosmetics as an obligatory Omani specification in terms of regulating imports and ensuring their safety for use by the consumer in whatever related to personal care requirements and cosmetics.

Hiba bint Yasser Al Mazrouei, a chemical products quality control specialist in the Directorate General of Standards and Metrology at MoCIIP stated that: “Importers must submit technical documents of the products registered in the second stage before allowing the releasing of the shipment by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion through (Bayan) platform.”

“All cosmetic and personal care products (other than products for rinsing) , products that  to be used on the skin (face, body, hand, feet, etc) such as: creams, emulsions,  lotions. , jelly/buttery gels, oils,and serums needs to be registered.

“It also includes oral and dental care products, which fall under: various types of toothpastes, mouthwash products, and perfumes, in addition to cosmetic products for using on hair (head, face, beard), such as: hair dyes of all kinds, products for curling, straightening and fixing hair, products for strengthening and reviving hair such as oils, creams, etc., hair decoration products, hair cleaning products, hair shaping products, and henna Hair, sun protection products of all kinds, deodorants and antiperspirants.

Heba added: “In accordance with the regulations and procedures prepared by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, represented by the Directorate General of Standards and Metrology, the importers also must submit technical documents through the ministry’s platforms for approval some time before shipments arrive in order to avoid the challenges of delays at border ports.”