BPOM: WLA Status Boosts Export Opportunities for Local Cosmetics

The Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) has stated that the WHO-Listed Authority (WLA) status held by Indonesia can increase export opportunities for local cosmetics by boosting global confidence in the national regulator. According to the WHO’s official website, Indonesia is the first middle-income country to achieve this status, owing to its commitment to strengthening oversight, particularly in the field of vaccines. “This reputation certainly has an impact. In many parts of the world, cosmetics are often included in drug or medical evaluations,” said BPOM Head Taruna Ikrar in Jakarta on Monday. He explained that this reputation provides several advantages, such as product reliance, where products that have been assessed by BPOM have the potential to be more easily accepted by regulators in the 39 countries with WHO-Listed Authority (WLA) status. Therefore, he said, this status plays a significant role in advancing the Indonesian cosmetics industry. To capture a potential market of 8 billion people, both new and existing, competitiveness is required, along with proof that Indonesia can offer efficacious products that match their claims. “I am optimistic that Indonesian products can compete internationally because of our raw materials. We can be self-sufficient in cosmetics,” he said. He explained that Indonesia has more than 31,000 plant species with the potential to be extracted into cosmetic ingredients, as well as mineral wealth and animal proteins. Cosmetics, he noted, are extremely popular products currently. Citing the Indonesian Consumers Foundation, the economic value of this industry reaches approximately 10 billion US dollars per year. “Because it is so large, we hope that business actors or the cosmetics industry can be assisted by BPOM to further develop and grow,” he said, adding that economic growth in the cosmetics sector is increasing by around 6.7 percent annually.