Consumers lost S$108,000 in beauty industry prepayments for H1 2025; overall complaints down 19%: Case
Many beauty industry-related complaints involve consumers being pressured into signing high-value packages under unclear or exaggerated promises
[SINGAPORE] Consumers lost more than S$108,000 in prepayments in the beauty industry for the first half of 2025, a 464 per cent surge from the S$19,000 recorded in the same period last year.
This came despite consumer complaints for the beauty industry decreasing slightly to 558 from 600 in H1 of 2024, said the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) on Tuesday (Aug 5).
Overall consumer complaints fell 19 per cent for the half-year period, to 6,253. This compared with 7,721 complaints recorded in the first half of 2024, which experienced a few “high-profile incidents” that accounted for more than 400 complaints, such as the botched sky lantern festival incident.
The motorcar industry remained as the top complaint category, with a 16 per cent decrease in complaint cases on the year, from 681 to 573.
Of the complains lodged in H1 2025, 28 per cent concerned vehicles that were defective or did not conform to contracts.
Complaints involving car-sharing services dipped slightly from 109 to 97, although consumers continued to raise concerns about poor vehicle maintenance, billing issues, high insurance excess and service reliability.
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Cases related to electric vehicles (EVs) rose 42 per cent from 33 to 47, with consumers complaining of defective components, such as the battery, and issues pertaining to charging EVs.
Melvin Yong, president of Case, said: “Consumers seeking to purchase an EV should be mindful of issues related to charging and battery lifespan.”
He highlighted that stronger standards for the shared mobility space are needed, as car-sharing services remain a popular consumer choice.
“Case is working with car-sharing operators to develop a CaseTrust accreditation scheme for the sector. This will allow consumers to patronise operators who have committed to consumer-friendly policies and provide an efficient dispute resolution mechanism,” he said.
The electrical and electronics industry ranked as the second-highest complaint category in H1 2025, rising from fourth place previously. It logged 571 complaints, a decrease of around 4 per cent from 594 cases in the year-ago period.
Similar to the motor industry complaints, around 47 per cent of cases in this category related to products that were defective or did not conform to contract terms. The products in question included small electronic devices purchased online and larger household appliances such as televisions and washing machines purchased at physical retail outlets.
The beauty industry ranked as the third-highest complaint category, with the use of aggressive or misleading sales tactics making up around 28 per cent of complaints for the sector.
Many of these involved consumers being pressured into signing high-value packages under unclear or exaggerated promises, Case noted.
Notably, one complaint involved a contract value of over $370,000. In that case, the consumer alleged that the business used aggressive, high-pressure sales tactics, made false promises that were not fulfilled, offered misleading discounts and overcharged.
Yong noted that the beauty industry is a cause for concern, despite its lower complaint numbers, given the sharp spike in prepayment-related losses.
“Case encourages consumers to patronise CaseTrust-accredited spas and beauty salons, as they provide consumers with assurances such as mandatory cooling-off periods and prepayment protection,” he said.
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