The Lagos State Government has taken steps to strengthen the regulation of cosmetic products and procedures with the presentation of the National Policy on Cosmetics Safety and Health and its Implementation Plan to the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. (Mrs.) Kemi Ogunyemi.
The policy was presented during the exit meeting of the Lagos State engagement on the National Policy on Cosmetics Safety and Health held at the conference room of the Lagos State Ministry of Health. The meeting marked the end of a four-day stakeholder engagement that began on Tuesday, March 10, at the Sojourner Hotel in GRA, Ikeja.
Speaking at the meeting, Ogunyemi said the engagement came at a critical time, citing a recent cosmetic surgery-related death in Lagos currently under investigation by the Health Facilities Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA).
“This engagement could not have come at a better time. Only this week, we had an unfortunate incident where a well-known lady died in Lagos following cosmetic surgery,” she said, adding that authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The Special Adviser stressed that patient safety remains a priority for the Lagos State Government, noting that regulating cosmetic products and procedures is vital to protecting residents.
She assured stakeholders that the state government would ensure effective implementation of the policy across the cosmetics value chain, including manufacturers, suppliers, training institutions and health facilities, adding that Lagos would continue to set the pace for other states.
Director of Cosmetics Safety in the Food and Drug Services Department of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Paul Okhakhu, said the policy was developed to address rising cases of adverse health effects linked to unsafe cosmetic products and to guide regulatory actions across states.
In her closing remarks, the Director of Pharmaceutical Services at the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Pharm. Olawale Poluyi, described the engagement as an important step in the policy’s implementation, noting that the four-day meeting brought together 49 participants from government agencies, regulatory bodies, academia, industry groups and civil society to develop a State Cosmetics Safety Action Plan aimed at protecting public health.
