What you can sell
🇮🇩 IndonesiaWhat Indonesian beauty brands can and can't sell in Singapore
Singapore bans and restricts certain cosmetic ingredients — and some of the most common in Indonesian whitening and skincare products (mercury, hydroquinone) are exactly the ones that make a product illegal to sell, and get brands named in public safety alerts. Here's what's prohibited, what's restricted-with-limits, and how to check your own product in a minute.
What this guide covers
- →The banned list (the big ones)
- →Restricted-with-limits
- →Why whitening products get flagged most
- →Heavy metals and why they matter
- →Check yours in 60 seconds
Singapore follows the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive (ACD), which prohibits over a thousand substances and caps many more. The ones that catch Indonesian brands: mercury, hydroquinone, tretinoin and topical steroids (all common in whitening). A BPOM notification doesn't carry over. Nobody checks before you sell — it surfaces in post-market surveillance, so check yourself first.
- The banned four to know: mercury, hydroquinone, tretinoin, topical corticosteroids.
- Many ingredients are allowed but capped — being over a limit is as bad as being banned.
- BPOM does not carry over — different list, different limits.
- Heavy-metal contamination (lead, arsenic) doesn't show on your ingredient list — only testing finds it.
- Check your INCI list in 60 seconds →
The banned list (the big ones)
Four prohibited actives show up in Indonesian formulations more than any others — all in skin-lightening. They work fast and visibly, which is exactly why they're banned.
| Ingredient | Status | Why it's used |
|---|---|---|
| Mercury (+ compounds) | Prohibited (narrow eye-area preservative exception) | Inhibits melanin; accumulates, damages kidneys/nerves |
| Hydroquinone | Prohibited in cosmetics | Skin lightener; a prescription medicine elsewhere — hence the confusion |
| Tretinoin / retinoic acid | Prohibited in cosmetics | Prescription active. Different from retinol, which is allowed within limits |
| Topical corticosteroids | Prohibited in cosmetics | Betamethasone, clobetasol etc. — suppress inflammation, lighten skin, cause real harm |
The pattern: if a formulation delivers a dramatic result fast and you're not certain what's driving it, find out before you take it across a border.
Restricted-with-limits (the bigger practical risk)
Most brands aren't knowingly using mercury — the real trap is the restricted list (ACD Annex III): legal ingredients with a maximum concentration. Over the cap is non-compliant just as surely as using a banned substance, and it's easy to trip over when a formula gets reformulated stronger.
| Category | What to watch |
|---|---|
| Skin-lightening actives | Kojic acid, arbutin — allowed with limits |
| Exfoliating acids | AHAs, salicylic acid — capped by concentration, sometimes pH/product type |
| Preservatives | Only permitted ones, within limits; formaldehyde-releasers need warnings |
| UV filters | Only listed filters — matters for any SPF claim |
| Colourants | Only permitted, declared by CI number |
Limits change, so rather than print a list that dates: run your actual ingredient list through the checker — it screens the current annexes.
Why whitening products get flagged most
Skin-lightening is the highest-risk category for Indonesian brands, for three compounding reasons. The fastest-working actives are the ones most likely to be banned; whitening is where contamination shows up; and regulators actively watch the category in post-market surveillance.
What this means for you: if you sell whitening or brightening products, expect to provide lab results, not just an ingredient list. Any RP taking that category without asking for testing isn't doing the job — and if it goes wrong, it's their name and yours on the safety alert.
Heavy metals — the one that isn't on your label
Lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium are regulated as contaminants, not ingredients — they arrive through raw materials, pigments or manufacturing, and don't appear on your INCI list at all. You can have a clean formula on paper and still exceed a limit through a contaminated pigment.
Colour cosmetics are highest-risk (mineral pigments), then clay/mineral skincare. The only way to know is to test — a certificate of analysis covering heavy metals, per batch, from your manufacturer. Ask for it before you ship, not after.
FAQ
Does my BPOM registration mean it's fine for Singapore? No. Different list, different limits. BPOM also doesn't publish ingredient lists, so an HSA notification needs your INCI list regardless.
Will someone check my product before I sell? No. Singapore trusts your declaration and catches problems in post-market surveillance — which is exactly why checking yourself first matters.
Is retinol banned? No — retinol and cosmetic retinyl esters are allowed within limits. It's tretinoin / retinoic acid (the prescription form) that's prohibited.
Can the checker tell me if my product is contaminated? No — it screens your declared list. Heavy metals and adulterants need lab testing.
Check your product → · free, ~1 min
If it comes back clean and you want it handled, we can be your Responsible Person.
Last verified 22 July 2026. Sources: HSA ASEAN Cosmetic Directive page and June 2026 annexes, HSA notification responsibilities, and HSA-linked safety-assessment, PIF and contaminant guidance. A preliminary screen is not a safety assessment. Operational guidance, not legal advice.