Cosmetic products Casablanca – Raja Battoui The Ministry of Health issued a white paper to mandate the registration of cosmetic products and materials in Morocco. The regulation is aimed for both local and imported products and is to be implemented before the marketing of these products.
 Although a new legislation is being waited on to regulate this area, the memorandum was created following concerns over the lack of health and safety procedures for citizens, especially after PIP breast implants scandal. It was due to these pressures the ministerial memorandum was put into practice.
The Ministry of Health will depend on this to grant certificates of registration or re-registration. In addition to, its advisory mission will have the right to withdraw or prevent the sale of any cosmetic products or body cleaners that are made of carcinogenic substances or chemical compounds that could affect the health of people. Furthermore, there needs to be a clarification of the contents, concise details of importation, manufacturing details, trial test results, production and expiry dates and any possible side effects — not until these have been met can any products be sold in the markets of Morocco.
The memorandum states that the license duration to market the mentioned products is five years and a re-newel application must be presented thereafter. The Directorate of Medicines and Pharmacy provides an information system that allows the manufacturers to electronically track the stages of their applications. The Advisory Committee on cosmetic products includes the Moroccan Centre for combating drug poisoning, the Directorate of Epidemiology and Disease Combat, professors in dermatology in the faculties of Medicine and Pharmacy in Rabat, Casablanca, Fez and in Marrakesh.
The Ministerial Memorandum has stated the importance of committee members to maintain confidentiality and to keep their distance from any direct or indirect financial interest with the companies that are seeking marketing licenses.