Thailand bans microneedle and spicule cosmetics from 22 May 2026

Since 22 May 2026, Thailand has banned making, importing or selling two kinds of cosmetic: products that are microneedles, and products that contain tiny needle-shaped crystals (the “spicule” products). The only exception that can still be sold in Thailand is a patch whose needles dissolve and are no longer than 100 micrometres. This lesson summarises the rules from the Royal Gazette text itself and shows how to check for yourself.

It is a plain-language summary, not legal advice. If you sell or import cosmetics, read the full text and ask the Thai FDA directly.

Two rules, one start date

Both are Ministry of Public Health announcements, signed by the Minister of Public Health on 8 May 2026 on the advice of the Cosmetics Committee at its meeting 4/2025 (23 December 2025). They were published in the Royal Gazette, volume 143, special issue 128 Ng, on 21 May 2026, and took effect the next day, 22 May 2026.

	Microneedles	Needle-shaped crystals
What is banned	Making, importing, selling cosmetics in the form of microneedles	Making, importing, selling cosmetics that contain small needle-shaped crystals
Can it be sold in Thailand?	Only dissolving patches, needles up to 100 µm, for face and body	No
Other exception	Dissolving patches made or imported for export only, not for sale in Thailand	Made or imported for export only, not for sale in Thailand
In force	22 May 2026	22 May 2026

What counts as a needle-shaped crystal

The rule defines it as a cosmetic containing an insoluble ingredient or substance with at least one external dimension that is a needle crystal or has a sharp tip, and that can penetrate the body. So a cream or serum advertised as containing “micro-needles” or spicules has to be measured against that definition. Three words carry it: insoluble, sharp-tipped, and able to penetrate.

The key difference from microneedle patches: there is no size exception for needle-shaped crystals. If a product fits the definition, it cannot be sold in Thailand.

Worked example: how long is 100 µm?

1 millimetre = 1,000 micrometres (µm), so 100 µm = 100 ÷ 1,000 = 0.1 mm. Here are four made-up products (for illustration only, not real items):

Hypothetical product	Convert	Against the rule	On sale in Thailand?
A: dissolving patch, label says 0.08 mm needles	0.08 × 1,000 = 80 µm	Dissolving, and 80 ≤ 100	Yes, with the full warnings
B: dissolving patch, 0.25 mm needles	0.25 × 1,000 = 250 µm	250 > 100	No
C: non-dissolving patch, 80 µm needles	80 µm	Not a dissolving type	No
D: serum with insoluble sharp-tipped crystals	No maths needed	Fits the needle-crystal definition	No

The usual trap is the unit. Some labels give millimetres, others micrometres. “0.25” looks smaller than “100”, but 0.25 mm is actually 2.5 times longer than the limit.

Warnings a legal patch must carry

The Cosmetics Committee issued a further announcement dated 2 March 2026, also published in the Royal Gazette on 21 May 2026. It requires dissolving microneedle patches to carry at least these label warnings (summarised):

• May cause allergy or irritation; do a patch test before use.
• If anything abnormal happens, stop and consult a doctor or pharmacist.
• Do not use on thin skin, intimate areas, lips or abnormal skin, such as inflamed skin, inflamed acne, open wounds, or peeling or irritated skin.
• Avoid the eye area.
• Do not use on children under 15.
• Not recommended for daily use.

If a patch you bought has none of these warnings, treat that as a red flag. For how to patch test, see Patch testing new products.

Cosmetics are not for injecting or pushing into the skin

On 20 May 2026, after a raid on cosmetics being injected at clinics, the Secretary-General of the Thai FDA stressed that products notified as cosmetics, even with a notification number, must never be injected or used with devices that push them into the skin, because their safety has not been assessed for that kind of use.

A notification number says a product is a cosmetic to put on the skin. It is not permission to inject it or push it into the skin.

How to check for yourself

1. Read the actual rules. The Thai FDA cosmetics division site (cosmetic.fda.moph.go.th) lists all three announcements as PDFs under cosmetic laws, or search the Royal Gazette site by title.
2. Check the Thai label and notification number, and look it up in the Thai FDA system to confirm the product name and maker match. See Reading a cosmetic ingredient list.
3. Check needle length and type. A patch must be the dissolving kind and no longer than 100 µm. Convert units before you compare.
4. If in doubt, or you find a product that breaks the rules, call the Thai FDA hotline 1556 or use LINE @FDAThai.

If you have already used a product and have stinging, redness, swelling, bumps or a sore that will not heal, stop straight away and see a doctor.

Common mistakes

• Assuming a Thai FDA number means anything goes. A notification number does not override the ban, and it never allows injecting or pushing a product into the skin.
• Misreading units. 0.25 mm is 250 µm, over the 100 µm limit.
• Treating a “micro-needle” cream as just a scrub. If it fits the needle-crystal definition, it is banned in Thailand whatever the size.
• Putting a patch over inflamed acne or a wound. The required warnings rule that out.
• Using it every day for faster results. The label must say daily use is not recommended.
• Letting children use it. Not for under-15s.

Sources

• Cosmetic laws (microneedle and needle-crystal announcements) — Cosmetic and Hazardous Substances Control Division, Thai FDA
• Ministry of Public Health announcement on microneedle cosmetics prohibited from manufacture, import or sale, B.E. 2569 — Royal Gazette (file via Thai FDA)
• Ministry of Public Health announcement on cosmetics containing small needle-shaped crystals, B.E. 2569 — Royal Gazette (file via Thai FDA)
• Cosmetics Committee announcement on label warnings for dissolving microneedle patches, B.E. 2569 — Royal Gazette (file via Thai FDA)
• Rules on cosmetics with “small needles and needle-shaped crystals” banned from manufacture, import and sale — Thairath
• CIB and Thai FDA raid falsely notified cosmetics being injected (20 May 2026) — Ministry of Public Health