Buying Cosmetics From Amazon, Flipkart? Beware, It Can Be Fake [Notices Issued]

In a major blow to ecommerce in India, both Amazon and Flipkart have received notices regarding fake cosmetics being sold via their platform.

In case they fail to reply within 10 days, ‘strict action’ will be taken against them. 

Considering that India’s largest festive sales is currently going on for these two mega-portals, this is a major concern.

Who has issued the notice? And what actually happened here?

Keep reading to find out more.

Fake Cosmetics Found On Amazon, Flipkart

Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) had raided various warehouses and shipping hubs of Amazon and Flipkart, between October 5th and 6th, right before the festive season sale started.

Drug Controller General of India operates under Central Drugs Standard Control Organization, and “is responsible for approval of licences of specified categories of drugs such as blood and blood products, IV fluids, vaccines and sera in India.”

During the raids, officials from DCGI recovered fake cosmetic products, including “spurious and adulterated” imported cosmetics.

In the notice sent to these ecommerce portals, DCGI S Eswara Reddy said, “In case, you fail to submit the reply within the stipulate period, it will be presumed that you have no reply to offer and appropriate action as deemed fit will be initiated against you,”

Which Rules Were Broken?

To start with, several cosmetic products didn’t have any valid manufacturing license on them, without which they cannot be sold anywhere in India.

Besides the ingredients used for manufacturing these cosmetics were imported from foreign locations, and no registration certificates were found. Infact, some of the ingredients were under  “negative list” of the BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards), and cannot be used in India.

As per Drug and Cosmetics Act, all imported cosmetic products should have a registration certificate, and all cosmetic products manufactured in India should have a valid license.

The cosmetics sold should adhere to the standards as laid down by Bureau of Indian Standards, and no ingredients under the ‘negative list’ can be used.

Amazon Responds; Flipkart Is Silent

Amazon has said that they are a marketplace, and strict action will be taken against the sellers who tried to sell fake cosmetics.

In a statement, Amazon India spokesperson said, “Amazon.in has a very high bar of customer experience and does take strict action against sellers who are selling illegal or fake products…in accordance with the due process of law, as and when such incidents are reported to us,”

Flipkart hasn’t responded yet. A similar notice was also sent to IndiaMart, one of the largest B2B platform in India.

As per a report, 25% of all fake luxury products are sold via online platforms, almost 30% of all online buyers receive a fake product.

The issue of fake products sold via online portals is a serious issue, and we demand that Flipkart, Amazon, IndiaMart and other ecommerce majors take appropriate action against this menace.

Have you received any fake product while shopping online? Do let us know by commenting right here.

Also Read: Online Marketplaces Are The Preferred Hub For Counterfeit & Smuggled Goods: FICCI