MANDATORY ANNOUNCEMENT OF COSMETIC PRODUCT

Business owners being organizations and individuals responsible for launching cosmetic products on the market are only allowed to put into circulation when the competent state agencies approve and the business owners must bear full responsibility for the safety, efficiency and product quality. Competent state agencies will conduct post-trade test when the products are being sold to the market.

Cosmetics are substances or preparations used in contact with the external parts of the human body (skin, hair, nails, lips and external genital organs) or the teeth and oral mucosa with the main purpose is to clean, perfume, change appearances, form, adjust body odor, or protect body or to keep the body in good condition.  The following will provide conditions and list of cosmetic types subject to mandatory annoucement.

1. Conditions to apply:

– Organizations and individuals responsible for launching the product into circulation on the market must have function to doing cosmetics business in Vietnam

– The announcement of the features of cosmetic products (intended use of the product) must satisfy the ASEAN guidelines on disclosure features of cosmetic products

2. Kinds of cosmetic that have to announce the distribution of cosmetics:

Kinds of cosmetic products must disclose the circulation of cosmetic products:

– Cream, emulsion, lotion, gel and oil for skin (hand, face, feet)

– Face mask (with the exception of chemistry peeling products)

– Tinted (liquid, paste, powder)

– Makeup powder, after shower powder, toilet powder

– Bath soap, deodorant soap

– Perfume, toilet perfume

– Products for bath or shower (salt, foam, oil, gel)

– Hair removal products

– Deodorants and anti-perspirants

– Shaving products (cream, foam, lotion)

– The makeup and makeup remover products for face and eyes

– Products used for lips

– Products for take caring teeth and mouth

– Products for nail care and adorn

– The products used to clean the outside

– Sun cream products

– Products for tanning without sun

– Skin whitening products

– Anti-wrinkle products

– Other products

Some products which are not classified as cosmetics:

Anti-mosquito products, air freshener, fabric softener, bleach, toilet, oxygen liquid, antiseptic alcohol 700, alcohol 900, denture cleaning products that are not exposed to the oral cavity, fake eyelashes, liquids to take care of eyes/nose/ears, against nasal congestion product, anti-snoring products, vaginal lubrication gel, ultrasound gel, the product in contact with the genital, rectal enema, anesthesia , reduce/control the swelling/edema, dermatitis treatment, allergy relief, anti-fungal, anti-virus products, stimulate hair/eyelash growth, the product removed/reduced fat/ reduced body size, weight loss products, prevent/stop hair growth products, stop sweating process, permanent tattoo ink, remove keloid scars reduction products, wound cleaning products.

To get the best advice for announcing cosmetic products procedures in Vietnam, please contact us atant@antlawyers.vn or call us at + 84 835202779.  To learn more about us, please visit www.antlawyers.vn 

ANT Lawyers is a Vietnam law firm with international standards, recognized by IFLR1000 on Financial and Corporate practice. We are an exclusive Vietnam member of Prae Legal, the global law firm network covering more than 150 jurisdictions. The firm provides a range of legal services as following to multinational and domestic clients.

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HIGH-TECH CRIME IN VIETNAM

The Vietnam Public Security have arrested a number of foreigners using of fake ATM cards to withdraw money in Vietnam in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Through the Vietnam Foreign Affairs Department, the Public Security will inform the respective foreign Consulate in Vietnam and the family of the foreigners commited crime to invite lawyers in Vietnam to cooperate during the investigation, prosecution and trial process in Vietnam.

It has been reported recently that some criminal organizations abroad have selected Vietnam as a place to perform illegal acts.  The act of using internet network and high- tech system to steal money in credit cards, in ATM machines to spend in Vietnam or convert them into foreign currency to bring abroad are getting more common.  Unauthorized intrusion into the database of key economic sectors such as postal , telecommunications, banking, and websites to steal information, domain name, credit card to make online purchase or usage of fake ATM cards to withdraw cash from ATM machines in Vietnam are violation of Vietnam Criminal Code.

Currently, under the provisions of the Vietnam Criminal Code, Article 224, 225 and 226 are governing the violations in the field of high-tech crime. Article 224 governs the acts to create and spread virus information; Article 225 governs the breach of operation, and usage of electronic computers; and Article 226 governs the unauthorized usage of information online and in computers. As the high-tech crime has no borders and gets more sophisticated, the Vietnam law experts are calling for a stricter sanctions to deter and prevent it from spreading.

However the Vietnam law experts have also admitted that the current Vietnam Penal Code also have limitations due to the high-tech’s complexity in nature resulting in difficulties for Vietnam Procedure Conducting Agencies at Public Security’s Investigation Agency, Public Prosecutor, and High Court of Vietnam.

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BIRTH REGISTRATION WITH FOREIGN ELEMENT

From January 1st 2016, the Law on Civil Status of 2014 went into effect, replacing other documents on the registration and management of civil status. Accordingly, the law has clearly defined the authority for registration and management of civil status of the Commune People’s Committee and the District People’s Committee. Commune People’s Committee in charge of the registration and management of civic status that do not have foreign element. The remaining case that have foreign element will be under the jurisdiction of registration and management of the District People’s Committee.

For the case of children born in the territory of Vietnam, whose father is foreigner and mother is Vietnamese, but the parent does not have legal marriage (in other words: illegitimate children), the competent for birth registration belongs to the District People’s Committee where the father or mother reside.

In terms of the birth registration procedure, the Law on Civil Status provides only the procedure in case that the parents of the birth registration children have legal marriage.

The remaining case that parents of the birth registration children do not have legal then according to the provisions of the Law on Civil Status, if the father wants his name to be included in the birth certificate of the children, he have to register through adoption procedure. Accordingly, the father requesting for children adoption have to submit the declaration, documents to prove paternity, copy of passport or valid documents that can replace passport to prove his identity to the District People’s Committee where the father of the children reside.

Within 15 days of receiving valid dossier, the civil status authority will carry out the verification, listed the recognition of father and children at the headquarters of the District People’s Committee within 07 consecutive days. At the same time, the Commune People’s Committee where the child resides will list within 07 consecutive days at the headquarters of the Commune People’s Committee.

After the listing has been expired, the Justice Department proposed Chairman of the District People’s Committee to decide on the recognition of the father and son. Once registering for the recognition of the father and children, Chairman of the District People’s Committee provide excerpts for the parties.

The registration procedure for recognition of father and children must be done simultaneously or be conducted prior to birth registration of the children.

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REDUCTION OF TAX RATES FOR IMPORT FROM JAPAN AND ASEAN COUNTRIES

Implementation of Agreement on ASEAN Japan Comprehension Economic Partnership (AJCEP) and Vietnam Japan Comprehension Economic Partnership (VJCEP), Ministry of Finance issued Circular No. 02 20/2012/TT-BTC and Circular No. 21/2012/TT-BTC dated 15.02.2012 giving instructions on the new special preferencial import tariff.

Under the VJCEP and AJCEP Tariff, most of food items such as meat products and by-products, fish fillets, butter, milk, rice, chemicals, plastics, fabrics and textile materials, iron and steel will be reduced import tax according to the schedule committed; notably some items will have import tax reduce to 0%.

Many electronics will be applied new tariffs such as: telecommunication camera taxes will be reduced from 5% to 2.5% in 2014, some digital cameras will even be enjoied a tax rate of 0% after two years. The appliances such as kitchen utensils, sink, bathtub will also decrease from 19% in 2012 to 14% in 2014.

Notably, agricultural tractors taxe rates will reduce from 10% to 0%; motor vehicles used to transport goods, which the maximum weight of not over 05 tons from 80% to 20%; vehicles used to transport goods with a total weight of 05-10 tons from 60% to 20%.

As commitment in the AJCEP Agreement, goods on the list of common goods (accounting for 88.6% of total tariff lines) are forced to reduce tariffs to 0% in 2025, while during the process, a total of 62.2% tariff lines will be lowered to 0% in 2018.

ANT Lawyers is a Vietnam law firm with international standards, recognized by IFLR1000 on Financial and Corporate practice. We are an exclusive Vietnam member of Prae Legal, the global law firm network covering more than 150 jurisdictions. The firm provides a range of legal services as following to multinational and domestic clients.

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