.gif)
Timely action has stopped at least 1000kilos of fake cosmetics from coming on the market at a time when the demand for sunscreens are enormous. A Girgaum man has been prosecuted by the state Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for trying to sell spurious sunscreen tubes, filled with baby lotion, under the brand name of a reputed international cosmetics company.
Acting on one tip, the FDA's vigilance department came across a small unit in Ghatkopar that deals with tube filling machines. It drove them to Harshal Desai, who had put online a requirement for companies that can manufacture tubes and also deal with machines to fill the tubes.
According to FDA, Desai purchased 1000kg of the baby lotion called Inspira at a cost of Rs 23,000 and planned to sell it in sunscreen tubes with SPF 50.
Investigations further revealed that Desai had approached a Wada-based company called Eco Rich Cosmetics India Ltd. for the supply of sun lotions. However, the Wada company does not manufacture suntan lotions, but had a ready stock of baby lotions.
"One of his acquaintances had already bought the tubes of a Vasai-based company. The tubes were called" Banana Boat ", a reputed brand that is preferred by professional swimmers to escape the sunburn. Order with a Dombivli company to create the drawings on the tube. The services of a Shivam Enterprise was hired to fill the tubes, "said Madhuri Pawar, deputy commissioner (vigilance).
Pawar said the spurious chain was broken when FDA officers Kondiba Gadewar, Dhananjay Jadhav, Sheetal Deshmukh and Sunil Jain visited all units simultaneously in different parts of the MMR and seized the illegal stocks. "Desai had no license to make a cosmetic product.
A court case will be lodged as per provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act," she said. It can attract imprisonment upto 3 years and with fine, which shall not be less than Rs 50000.
