Prepayment losses in beauty sector surge 464% in H1

This comes despite an overall 19% drop in consumer complaints.

Consumers lost over $108,000 in prepayments to beauty businesses in the first half of 2025, according to the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE).

This marks a 464% increase from the $19,000 recorded during the same period in 2024.

The rise in losses comes despite an overall 19% drop in consumer complaints, from 7,721 in 1H2024 to 6,253 in 1H2025.

The higher number of complaints in 2024 was partly due to high-profile events such as the Sky Lantern Festival, which alone generated over 400 complaints.

The motorcar industry received the most complaints with 573 cases, down from 681 in 1H2024. About 28% of these were over defective vehicles or contract issues.

The electrical and electronics sector followed with 571 complaints, a 4% drop. 47% were related to faulty products or contract non-compliance, including both online and in-store purchases.

Complaints about telecommunications rose from 319 to 353, with 24% tied to dissatisfaction with paid services.

CASE also noted a 40% increase in complaints against online travel agents.

CASE President Melvin Yong urged tighter regulation in online transactions, including mandatory merchant verification, escrow systems, and better dispute resolution frameworks.

He also called on the government to raise the $20,000 limit of the Small Claims Tribunals, noting that many renovation disputes now exceed that amount.

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