{
  "id": 6525079,
  "title": "Pakistan General Cosmetics Bill cleared with two amendments",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/pakistan-general-cosmetics-bill-cleared-with-two-amendments",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-10T02:02:14.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Recorder",
    "slug": "business-recorder",
    "url": "https://www.brecorder.com/news/40438738/pakistan-general-cosmetics-bill-cleared-with-two-amendments"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology approved the Pakistan General Cosmetics Bill, 2026, on Wednesday, with two amendments, establishing a regulatory framework for an industry that had previously operated without effective oversight. The Pakistan General Cosmetics Regulatory Authority (PGCRA), set up by the Pakistan General Cosmetics Act, 2023, was deemed ready for winding up by the federal cabinet in January 2025. Senator Kamil Ali Agha, chairing the committee, highlighted the need for the new authority to effectively regulate cosmetics sold both physically and online. Federal Minister for Science and Technology Khalid Hussain Magsi revealed that the revised regulator would comprise DRAP, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and other pertinent institutions. Concerns were raised over the smuggling of cosmetics worth USD 500 million into Pakistan, with mercury-laden products previously causing health hazards. Defence Minister Muhammad Raza Hayat Harraj emphasized the lack of legislation and standards as a barrier to exporting Pakistani cosmetics. Senator Afnan Ullah Khan pointed out the lucrative nature of the unregulated cosmetics market, attracting illegal trade. The committee also addressed the Islamabad Capital Territory Food Safety (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which aims to restrict energy drink sales near educational institutions, based on recommendations from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. However, the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) continues to face unresolved water supply and wastewater treatment issues since 2005.",
  "summary": "ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology on Wednesday approved the Pakistan General Cosmetics Bill, 2026, with two amendments, paving the way for a new regulatory framework for an industry that lawmakers warned was operating largely without effective checks, with billions of rupees worth of cosmetics allegedly being smuggled into the country. The committee, chaired by…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}