Background ASEAN or Association of South East Asian Nations is a political, economic and cultural organization operating by consensus among its member states. It includes ten countries of Southeast Asia: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. In 1998, ASEAN cosmetics regulators and industry representatives established a working group to address issues related to trade barriers for the cosmetics sector. As a result of this collaboration, ASEAN Cosmetic Directive (ACD) has been in force since January 1, 2008, which is based on the former European Union Directive 76/768/EEC and aims to harmonize requirements for cosmetic products. Thus, there are many similarities between the EU Cosmetic Regulation and the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive, among them the definitions of a cosmetic product, the requirements for Product Information File and safety assessment. But there are also differences that should be taken into account before putting cosmetics on the ASEAN…