The Chamber of Cosmetics Industry(CCI) states that the import ban on cosmetic products has created a major negative impact to saloons, beauty parlors and most importantly for over 300,000 who are employed in the industry.
Sri Lanka has in excess of 30,000 salons and 15,000 cosmetics outlets that employ over 300,000 people out of which the majority are females.
“Further, the local cosmetics importers also employ close to 1,000 persons in their respective organizations and the ban has threatened the employment of a high percentage of hairdressers, beauticians, salon owners, traders, trade assistants, beauty advisors, make-up artists as well numerous other people involved in the bridal industry and the indirect beneficiaries where most of them are breadwinners of families.”
It should be noted that other than the employment generated the said imports contribute almost 90% of the total imports value in the form of government taxes, cess, and other statutory payments to the treasury. Besides there are many academies in Sri Lanka that are regulated and have a large number of students intending to travel abroad for employment, using international brands of cosmetic products for their training which helps the student who eventually turns out to be a beautician and then employed in countries such as Australia and New Zealand mainly and also in the rest of the world. Working with specific brands of products is different from one to another and hence internationally this method is highly acceptable and needed when training as a student.
Further, there is a percentage of foreigners and expatriate Sri Lankans who travel to Sri Lanka to have their wedding and they too prefer to use international brands of cosmetics for the said purpose. Due to the current temporary suspension, it is also evident that a large number of individuals are hand-carrying commercial quantities of cosmetics thus depriving the country of revenue that would have been earned through the proper channel of importation. This had also caused a black market to emerge in the industry.
With the Christmas and New Year season being around the corner and as importers need at least 60 days to import i.e lead time and shipping time included, the fervent appeal of all in the industry to the authorities is to lift the temporary suspension and allow these goods to be brought in. After all, considering the very small number of $ involved it’s not bound to hurt the foreign exchange requirement.
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