Crisis Looming for Russian Perfume Market {The 5th Sense in the News}

Excessive alcohol consumption has been a serious long-standing problem in Russian history. Gorbachev's reform policy for curbing alcohol consumption initiated in 1985 and officially in effect on paper until 1988 was a significant landmark. As the poster shown below demonstrates (date unknown), even alcoholic pregnant women have been a concern.

The Russian government has been trying lately to curb the habit again and perfumes as they contain alcohol and people tend to drink them have become a target......

The system, which was originally designed for regulating the use of wine and spirits in Russia, will now be used to monitor any cosmetic or perfume product containing over 1.5 per cent of alcohol.

As of July 1, all perfume and cosmetic manufacturers will have to incur extra costs by having to purchase, install and maintain the special equipment needed for the government to keep track of colognes, deodorants and cosmetics containing alcohol produced or sold on the domestic market. [....]

The new regulation stemmed from a greater need to stem the dangerous lengths Russians will go to consume alcohol, with a report on the BBC recently stating that Russians have a 'willingness to swallow all kinds of domestic and industrial products, provided they contain alcohol'.

(Source: Cosmetics Design Europe) 

You can visit the Museum of Anti-Alcohol Posters.