Cosmetics produced or imported into Tanzania will now be regulated by the country’s Bureau of Standards, instead of the food and drugs authority which was previously responsible for them.
The Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) oversees quality control and standardisation for a variety of products, including chemicals, textiles and construction materials. As of 1 July, it also controls cosmetics products as well as food.
Sites in Tanzania where cosmetics or food products are produced must now be registered with the TBS, and both locally produced and imported products must be accompanied by a certification of quality and safety. Registrations that were issued by the food and drugs authority will be honoured until their expiry, but then must be renewed with the TBS.
The bureau also announced it will combine the testing processes for quality and safety into one procedure in order to reduce costs and save time.
“A licence or certificate issued by TBS shall be attestation of premise[s] registration and product registration and confirmation of safety and quality of food and cosmetic products,” the bureau said in a statement.
“This is aimed at reducing annual licensing or certification costs and the piles of licenses and/or certificates at the manufacturer’s premise[s].”
Earlier this week, the TBS published online the list of cosmetics banned in Tanzania, which includes soaps containing mercury and its compounds, and cosmetics containing the skin-lightening chemical hydroquinone. The list has not changed substantially since the bureau took over-regulation, TBS cosmetics inspector Colman Benance told reporters.
Tanzania is a member of the East African Community, which in May published draft quality and labelling standards for cosmetics products, including hairspray, lipstick, deodorants and anti-perspirants, aftershave and body oils.