The Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology has passed the Pakistan General Cosmetics Bill, 2026. The Pakistan cosmetics bill aims to strengthen safety standards and improve regulation of the country’s cosmetics market.
Senator Kamil Ali Agha chaired the committee meeting at Parliament House on Monday, October 26. Members reviewed the bill’s provisions section by section before approving it unanimously, with amendments incorporated after consultations with stakeholders.
The committee accepted a revised definition intended to give wider representation to domestic manufacturers and to benefit both local producers and importers. The bill had been referred back by the Senate on October 14, along with amendments moved by Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, and the committee reviewed it again after stakeholder consultations that included the Pakistan Cosmetic Manufacturers Association.
Under the bill as approved, manufacturing or importing substandard cosmetics could attract up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to Rs5 million. Federal Minister for Defence Production Mohammad Raza Hayat Harraj, who briefed the committee, warned that unsafe and substandard cosmetics posed serious health risks, including skin cancer, and said the absence of a dedicated regulatory framework had let makers of substandard products escape punishment through legal proceedings. The bill also proposes a dedicated authority to oversee cosmetic products and protect public health.
The proposed law seeks to require transparent ingredient labelling, curb misleading marketing, and ensure that personal care products sold in Pakistan undergo scientific safety assessments. Those three points form the core of the bill: buyers should know what is in a product, claims on packaging should be honest, and safety should be tested rather than assumed.
What the committee examined in the Pakistan cosmetics bill
During the meeting, the chairman questioned officials about the number of cosmetics companies operating in Pakistan. He also asked about their registration with the Directorate General of Trade Organizations, the Federal Board of Revenue, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, and sales tax authorities.
The committee stressed that industry associations should be easy to establish across regions. It also said regulations should not create unnecessary barriers for emerging businesses. That balance matters: the bill is meant to protect consumers without shutting small firms out of the market.
Members also examined the balance between raw materials imported for local manufacturing and finished cosmetic products imported directly. That distinction affects both local industry and import policy, and the committee wanted it clearly understood before passing the bill.
The meeting was attended by the federal minister for defence production as a special invitee, the minister for science and technology, Senators Husna Bano and Dr Afnan Ullah Khan, senior officials, and the Law Division’s legal team.
A step forward from earlier scrutiny
This passage marks progress for a bill that has already been through close scrutiny. Feature Pakistan reported on October 21 that the same committee had pressed for curbs on counterfeit cosmetics while examining the bill, after concerns about fake and unsafe products in the market, in Senate panel seeks deeper scrutiny of cosmetics bill to curb counterfeits.
Committee passage does not make the bill law on its own. The bill must still go through the remaining parliamentary stages before it takes effect. Clearing the committee section by section is a substantive step: the committee has settled the bill’s text.
For consumers, the practical change will come only when the law is in force and enforced. Transparent labelling, honest marketing and safety assessments would then become legal requirements rather than voluntary practice.
What happens next
The bill now moves to the next stage of the parliamentary process. Consumers and businesses should watch for the Senate’s consideration of the bill and for any rules that follow once it becomes law. Until then, buyers should keep checking ingredient labels and buying from trusted sellers, since counterfeit and substandard cosmetics remain a risk.
Source: ProPakistani, “Pakistan to Introduce New Rules for Cosmetics”, published 27 October 2026 (20:10 PKT) — https://propakistani.pk/2026/10/27/pakistan-to-introduce-new-rules-for-cosmetics/
Frequently asked questions
What is the Pakistan cosmetics bill?
It is the Pakistan General Cosmetics Bill, 2026, which aims to strengthen safety standards and regulation of the cosmetics market through transparent labelling, honest marketing and scientific safety assessments.
Who passed the bill?
The Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology, chaired by Senator Kamil Ali Agha, passed the bill section by section at a meeting at Parliament House on October 26.
