In brief
On 4 April 2023, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) issued an update on products found and reported by overseas regulators to contain potent ingredients that are prohibited and may cause side effects.
Key takeaways
- To better protect local consumers from harmful health products that can be found overseas and online, the HSA not only conducts surveillance on health products found locally, but monitors overseas enforcement actions. The HSA then issues updates for consumers on products that may pose a threat to public health. The HSA’s close monitoring of noncompliant health products in other countries and of overseas regulators’ actions show that potential noncompliance in other jurisdictions may lead to knock-on risks in Singapore (e.g., negative publicity; potential perception in Singapore that the health products are adulterated).
- Sellers and suppliers of health products should note that anyone who supplies health products in Singapore that are adulterated, counterfeit or have been tampered with may face a fine of up to SGD 100,000 and/or imprisonment for up to three years.
In depth
The HSA published a consolidated list of health products that were found and reported by health regulators overseas (including regulators in Canada, Malaysia and Thailand) to contain potent ingredients.
The health products that were found to include potent ingredients range from sunscreens to pre-workout supplements. The HSA also provided a brief explanation of the possible side effects of the potent ingredients found in the health products. The full list of health products and the respective side effects can be found here.
The HSA cautioned the public against buying any of the listed products when abroad, and recommended exercising caution when purchasing health products online or from unfamiliar sources. In the event consumers wish to buy health products online, the HSA encouraged consumers to use retailers with an established presence in Singapore.
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