Tuesday 23 / April / 2024
Muscat: The Gulf Standard Specifications (GSS) for certain personal care products will now be binding as the Omani standard, according to a decision issued by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. According to the Official Gazette, “Per Royal Decree 11/2017 defining the terms of reference of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, adopting its organisational structure, the Ministerial Decision 230/95 considered some of the GCC Standard Specifications as the binding Omani standards.” Based on these decisions, Article 1 of the Ministerial Decision 128/2019 states that GSS for safety requirements in cosmetics and personal care products shall be a mandatory Omani standard. The Article 2 stipulates that an administrative fine shall not exceed OMR1,000 and shall be imposed on any person who contravenes the provisions and the fine will be doubled in case of repeated violation. Article 3 states that the Ministerial Decisions 230/95, 146/2000 and 32/2010 shall be repealed. Anything contrary to this resolution or inconsistent with its provisions shall also be cancelled. Article 4 states that decisions shall be published in the official gazette and shall come into effect six months after the date of its publication. According to GCC Standardization Organization (GSO), Cosmetic Products are defined as substances or a mixture intended to be placed in contact with the external parts of the human body (epidermis, hair system, nails, lips and external genital organs) or with the teeth and the mucous membranes of the oral cavity with a view exclusively or mainly to cleaning them, perfuming them, changing their appearance, protecting them, keeping them in good condition or correcting body odours. Cosmetic Products Claims is any information about the nature, impact, effectiveness and content mentioned on the product or in advertising or in any promotional way. All claims and advertisements for cosmetic products must comply with the following criteria: - Cosmetic products claims must comply with all laws within the Gulf Arab states, and that do not conflict with Islamic values or habits of society, and not to injure public morality. - Neither the general presentation of the cosmetic product nor individual claims made for the product shall be based on false or irrelevant information. Such as: (free of preservatives), while the product actually contain preservatives. - The cosmetic products claims must be true and if a product claims that it contains a specific ingredient, the ingredient shall be deliberately present. - Ingredient claims referring to the properties of a specific ingredient shall not imply that the finished product has the same properties when it does not. - Claims to be identical meaning in all languages on the label. - Claims for cosmetic products, whether explicit or implicit, shall be supported by adequate and verifiable evidence Released by the manufacturer, This requires the possibility of linking between references studies used as evidence and product used by the claim, and It should use scientific methods to prove a well designed and followed (true, reliable and rechargeable experience), and respects the ethical considerations. - Fine fragrances usually contain such a high amount of alcohol that the additional use of preservatives is not necessary. In this case, it would be dishonest to highlight in advertising the fact that a certain fine fragrance does not contain any preservatives. - Claims for cosmetic products shall be objective and shall not denigrate the competitors (such as: Maximum, better, stronger) , nor shall they denigrate ingredients legally used. - Marketing communications shall take into account the capacity of the target audience to comprehend the communication. Marketing communications shall be clear, precise, relevant and understandable by the target audience.
