The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has seized 140kg of cosmetics of unknown origin — some of them claiming false medical efficacy and still others without product labels in either Arabic or English.

During its crackdown during the last few days of the Holy Month of Ramadan, 227 ladies beauty salons and centres were inspected in a bid to verify their compliance with health stipulations as well as the public health codes. Three salons and 18 centres had already been served with warnings.

The Municipality stressed the importance of compliance of beauty salons and centres with the standards and stipulations of cleanliness and public health, and called on visitors of these outlets to ensure the implementation of such standards and take timely action on reporting to the Municipality any practices or offences jeopardising the health and safety of the community.

Khalifa Al Rumaithi, director of Public Health at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, praising the results of the campaign, said, “Municipal inspection teams covered the whole of Abu Dhabi city under the campaign that principally aimed at educating operators and staff of beauty salons on health practices that ought to be observed in their outlets. The drive raised the awareness among customers of beauty salons on safeguarding their safety and health, and eliminating any violations of health stipulations and standards at these places.

“Tracking beauty salons and centres as well as other facilities related to the public was not linked to a specific campaign or timing, as the municipal surveillance teams carry out daily monitoring and health control measures,” he added.

Al Rumaithi continued: “The Municipality made it clear that it will not hesitate to take necessary measures against any party proven to have violated the applicable health stipulations in a way that inflicts damage to the health and safety of the community.

“In case any entity is caught adding harmful materials, the products will be immediately confiscated and legal measures will be taken against the offender, which includes tough ones such as closing down the entity, cancelling the trading licence, prohibiting the practice of their activity, imposing hefty fines, and confiscating any materials proved by lab tests to contain petroleum, chemical or harmful products.”

The campaign was set off in the closing days of Ramadan as beauty salons and centres are usually found to be busy with customers on the eve of Eid Al Fitr.