Social networking sites are filled with many pages promoting cosmetic and therapeutic products and cosmetics, both original and counterfeit, amid the efforts of official authorities to control unlicensed ones that threaten the health and safety of citizens.

The Jordan News Agency (Petra) monitored the opinions of many citizens about their experiences with the pages promoting these products, as they said that the large spread of products on social media prompted them to enter into this experience, even if only for once.

The experiences of citizens differed between supporters and opponents, as a number of them prefer to buy products on the ground, not through electronic pages, due to the lack of credibility and transparency in these products because most of them are counterfeit and unreliable, and many of the products sold through social networking sites lack professional standards. and health safety, in addition to defrauding them by means of promotion and electronic marketing in terms of lighting and others. According to their saying, many of them prefer to buy international and well-known products, especially with regard to skin and hair, in order to avoid any damage that may appear on the skin of the face or body, and the majority tend to try and inspect products on the ground before purchasing them, in addition to that the options are available to them more and more widely. Safer, especially if the need arises to return to the store with ease.

On the other hand, others want to buy cosmetic and therapeutic products and cosmetics through the pages of social networking sites that belong to reliable and well-known international original brands, as these pages provide guarantees confirming the safety of the product presented, by writing its ingredients and the proportions used on the box, in addition to the places of manufacture and this gives confidence Great product offered.

Citizens called for tightening control over social media pages dealing with these products, with the aim of providing a safe environment for online shopping.

They pointed out that major companies are now tending to market their products via the Internet and close their stores in many countries, due to the ease of marketing products, faster spread, lower costs, reducing the number of workers, in addition to the speed of completion, and other reasons.

The representative of the health sector and medical drugs and their supplies in the Jordan Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Tayseer Younis, said that Jordan Trade does not have any executive or supervisory authority on social media, but the authority is vested in the Food and Drug Administration, indicating that the Chamber’s interest lies in making all products and cosmetics entered To the Kingdom and put on the market are approved and licensed by the Saudi Food and Drug Administration.

He added that the chamber’s goal is primarily to protect the legally registered merchant, calling on citizens to refer to the Saudi Food and Drug Administration to ensure the health and safety of the products offered or advertised on social media pages, through the tools provided by the agency.

Dr. Younes pointed out that the Food and Drug Administration has automated all its directorates, through which the citizen can ensure the safety of the product he wants to buy, whether electronic or traditional, and that it is duly registered and allowed to be circulated by the Food and Drug Authority, which helps to Not to be cheated and deceived.

Dr. Younes pointed out that there is a demand for purchasing cosmetic products and cosmetics through social media pages, calling on citizens to be careful when purchasing these products, so that they are licensed and reliable.

For his part, the head of the Cosmetics and Accessories Merchants Syndicate, Mahmoud Al-Jalis, acknowledged the existence of unlicensed goods that are being promoted through social media, stressing that the cosmetics available in the local markets are licensed by the Food and Drug Administration.

He stressed that the cosmetics available in the markets are monitored by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply and the General Authority for Food and Drug, or intellectual protection if it is counterfeit, and the Criminal Investigation Department or the General Organization for Standardization and Metrology, or combating smuggling if the materials are smuggled, in the event that complaints are submitted regarding This issue, as for the social networking sites that publish these cosmetic products, the Syndicate has no authority over it.

He pointed out that the majority of materials sold through social media come through postal parcels and are not subject to any kind of censorship, which has caused many problems, expressing his hope that radical solutions to this issue will be found.

In turn, the Food and Drug Administration said that, through its supervisory role on medicine, cosmetics, and medical supplies, it followed up unlicensed advertisements and websites through specialized cadres in the institution and in cooperation with the competent security authorities.

She added that the follow-up and research capabilities of the parties participating in this task have been developed, represented by the Public Security Department with its directorates and divisions in combating cybercrime, intellectual property and the Royal Department for Environmental Protection. These violating advertisements are tracked on a daily basis and fundamental seizures are made in cooperation with the security authorities and their inspection teams. Following up and receiving complaints and observations from all parties and citizens.

With regard to the promotion on social media of cosmetics and medical supplies, the Foundation indicated that it is carrying out its oversight role on them, as in the event that these sites publish and promote unlicensed cosmetics and medical supplies or contain incorrect medical claims, these pages are tracked in cooperation with the Security Directorate. Public through criminal investigation, and these pages are closed by the security authorities. As for the materials that are being promoted, they are confiscated and destroyed, and the concerned parties are referred to the Public Prosecutor to take legal action against them.

With regard to the control mechanism, the institution stated that the inspection department in the Medical Supplies and Devices Directorate follows up on these pages within its competence, in addition to receiving complaints from citizens or other parties, following them up and taking action against them.

She pointed out that among the mechanisms used to deal with these complaints is that the products that are being promoted are verified as being registered or not registered with the General Authority for Food and Drug, and then the validity of the allegations on these products is verified through the concerned departments in the institution and coordination with the security authorities. To control the stakeholders and take legal action against them.

Regarding postal parcels, the Corporation indicated that there is a complete regulation of all what these parcels contain, whether medicines, vitamins, nutritional supplements, cosmetics, medical supplies, or any materials subject to the Corporation’s control. With regard to cosmetics, there is a requirement for personal importation that does not exceed 40 pieces annually and that there are Guarantees proving that they are for personal use and not for use that requires specialization, and that these materials are not among the internationally prohibited materials, as the health of the citizen is one of the priorities of the institution.

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