The case of model and actress Piumi Hansamali has been controversial. Many have questions about how she earned money to spend lavishly when in reality she does not seem to be engaged in a stable profession, especially during an economic crisis. She claims that she sells a certain whitening cosmetic product at a price of Rs. 35,000 per pack, and that she has already sold around 25,000 units. According to her, that is the source of her income.

The court of public opinion has already found Hansamali guilty of earning money through dishonest means. However, investigations are in progress to find out whether Hansamali is telling the truth, and more importantly, what her source of income actually was. In addition, there are concerns about whether she has paid income tax for the money she earned through the said business.

Regardless of the focus of investigations, there is a pressing concern about the cosmetic product that she is said to have sold for years, to around 25,000 people. According to media reports, the said cosmetic product has not been approved by relevant local regulatory authorities, including the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA). If that is true, Hansamali’s case is not just about an alleged money laundering case, but also a public health concern, because unregulated and harmful cosmetic products, especially whitening creams, have already caused a number of health issues which made national headlines during the past year.

Whitening creams have been on high demand in the region for a long time. Perhaps the popularity of such whitening creams are due to a cultural phenomenon, that is a remnant of our Colonial past, where many were convinced that to be fair skinned was to be beautiful. However, their chemical composition and other such factors pertaining to consumers’ safety are rarely discussed by consumers or openly declared by sellers. In the case of Hansamali, it appears that she has been selling the said cosmetic product for years. At times advertising in print, electronic and social media. However, despite adherence to standards, the country did not know the legal status of her operations. In other words, no one knew about the quality of Hansamali’s products because they were allegedly, not legally registered. This raises a number of other pertinent questions about how such a product was sold to thousands of people without the authorities noticing. At the same time, people can now ask how such a health threat was allowed to exist for this long.

If any person can manufacture their own cosmetic products and sell it for the people to consume without passing locally applicable standards and other regulations, that is a serious situation. If such a business can thrive without facing legal action for this long, that is a bigger issue. It begs the question, what were the State agencies and regulators who are entrusted with the duty to protect the public and ensure quality of products available, while all of this was going on? As in many cases before, the State seemed to have been conveniently ‘asleep’. Also, where was the Inland Revenue Department, IRD – the State revenue raising arm, which should have been keeping an eye on all the profits made? Again, they were ‘asleep’.

At the centre of this concern are the Health Ministry, NMRA, and the Sri Lankan Government. The credential of the NMRA as the pharmaceuticals regulator has been decimated over multiple crises with substandard medicines and fraudulent imports of such.  While they should continue the investigations with a focus on the source of Hansamali’s income, the said national health threat cannot be ignored. This is not a matter about Hansamali. In a context where whitening cream sellers mushroomed during the past few years and such products caused people health issues, this is also a matter about public health. The authorities may be too late to stop the impacts of Hansamali’s product, if any. However, they are not too late to monitor and take pre-emptive actions with regard to those other products, which are not registered, nor tested.

Moreover, Hansamali’s case has raised concerns about whether Sri Lanka has adequate laws to deal with unregistered or unapproved cosmetic products. If these concerns are true, it is high time for the Government to make the necessary legal reforms to strengthen the law. Unlike other, ongoing legal reforms, this is a matter of public health and therefore should be prioritised.