Impeding personal grooming
The week's news at a glance.
Moscow
New regulations intended to increase government control over alcohol have greatly hampered sales of perfume, hairspray, and other personal products. Under a law that went into effect last month, any product that contains at least 1.5 percent alcohol must be registered in a government database, and all product shipments reported. But because the government agency responsible for the database has yet to set it up, shipments of many personal care products—including skin creams, acne treatments, and hair gels—have been halted. Many store shelves are already empty. “The products are there as long as they last,” said Viktor Kramarenko, spokesman for Procter & Gamble. “Then it’s back to Soviet times. I would stock up now.”
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
How global conflicts are reshaping flight paths
Under the Radar Airlines are having to take longer and convoluted routes to avoid conflict zones
-
Zohran Mamdani: the young progressive likely to be New York City's next mayor
In The Spotlight The policies and experience that led to his meteoric rise
-
The best film reboots of all time
The Week Recommends Creativity and imagination are often required to breathe fresh life into old material