KATHMANDU, July 1: Billions of rupees worth of beauty products are imported and consumed in Nepal every year. However, in the absence of a dedicated body to check the quality of imported cosmetic products, they are being sold and used without proper scrutiny. Studies have found that the use of substandard beauty products can have adverse effects on public health.
According to the Department of Customs (DoC), Nepal imported face creams worth Rs 1.71 billion during the first 11 months of the current fiscal year 2025/26. Similarly, lipstick worth Rs 710.7 million was imported during the period.
A 2025 study conducted by the Center for Public Health and Environmental Development (CEPHED) found that low-quality beauty products are being imported into Nepal and contain harmful chemicals. The study report showed that samples of vermilion (sindoor), toothpaste, and kohl (kajal) available in the Nepali market contained harmful metals, including lead, in amounts exceeding international standards.
Among the samples found to contain harmful chemicals and lead, 87 percent exceeded the European Union’s limit of 0.5 ppm, while 77 percent exceeded the 1 ppm limit set by the United States and Canada. Lead was detected in 40 percent of the vermilion samples tested. Excessive levels of lead were also found in kohl and toothpaste samples.
There has been limited research on the quality of beauty products in Nepal, except for a few studies. Therefore, it is difficult to determine the overall quality status of imported beauty products, says CEPHED Executive Director Ram Charitra Sah.
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“We have studied only a limited number of products. The samples we tested contained alarmingly high levels of harmful chemicals and lead,” he said.
Doctors warn that the use of substandard beauty products can have serious health consequences. According to them, harmful chemicals and lead in such products can enter the bloodstream through the skin and affect internal organs.
In children, exposure to such substances can affect the nervous system and physical development. In adults, it may lead to heart disease, kidney failure, infertility, miscarriage, and premature birth.
Some chemicals such as benzene and lead found in certain cosmetic products can cause premature skin aging and pigmentation. Dermatologist Dr Bhaskar Kayastha at Patan Hospital says prolonged use of substandard beauty products may even increase the risk of skin cancer.
“Long-term use of sunscreen containing benzene can cause skin cancer,” he said.
Despite the serious health risks posed by substandard beauty products, stakeholders say Nepal still lacks an agency responsible for setting and enforcing quality standards for such products.
Director Sah says the Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology Department (NBSM) has only set voluntary standards for such products, but there is no legally binding quality regulation.
“Voluntary standards do not make importers and manufacturers legally responsible,” he said.
The NBSM said it has not been monitoring the quality of cosmetic products as there is no such legal provision.
“The department only issues quality certification and conducts monitoring. We do not check the quality of beauty products,” said NBSM Spokesperson Prabhat Kumar Singh.
Spokesperson of the Department of Drug Administration (DDA) Kiran Sundar Bajracharya also said the department is not responsible for checking the quality of cosmetic products.
Ministry of Health and Food Safety Joint-Spokesperson Dr Sameer Kumar Adhikari said cosmetic products should ideally be monitored by the DDA due to their connection with public health, but the existing law does not assign such responsibility to the department.
He said discussions have been ongoing for years over which agency should regulate such products, but no decision has been implemented so far.
A draft had earlier been prepared to establish an FDA-style (Food and Drug Control) department as an alternative to the DDA, but it has not moved forward. “The draft has been prepared, but it needs to go through the Cabinet and then be presented to Parliament,” Adhikari said.
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