The Department of Health banned the sale or distribution of two products, Philter (Black Rose) – a product said to increase sexual desire – and a soap that claimed to have powerful “whitening” properties, because neither product ‘a notification or recognition number from the ministry.
In an April 19 notice, the department said a Facebook account named “Nail Shop” was advertising the Philter product for sale. The product was neither registered nor recognized by the ministry and appeared to make claims in its advertising without any scientific basis.
The ministry had asked all authorities to offer their cooperation to find the administrator of the Facebook account and bring him to justice. Unregistered drugs risked causing serious harm to people, he said.
The ministry urged the public to stop buying the Philter product because its chemical composition was unknown, meaning there was no way of knowing how much it could affect a person’s health, or even if its side effects could be deadly.
The ministry also banned the distribution or sale of a particular soap, as it was also an unregistered chemical. This soap was distributed by Phnom Trong Cosmetic Import Export (Cambodia) Co Ltd. It contained mercury chemicals in excess of levels defined as safe, which meant it could pose a serious risk to the skin condition and health of consumers.
The ministry added that under the Kingdom’s strict pharmaceutical laws, cosmetic products of all kinds must have been inspected – and approved with notification numbers – by the ministry.
He called on consumers to check products for this safety assurance.
The notice said the ministry would continue to monitor all products that were on the market and would not hesitate to prosecute anyone who broke the law.
A Department of Health official, speaking to The Post on condition of anonymity, said the products posed serious health risks to consumers and warranted immediate action.
“We have enforced the necessary regulations and detained and fined the perpetrators of these crimes in many, many cases,” he said.
