On November 21, the Police Investigation Agency for Corruption, Economic, and Smuggling Crimes (C03, Ministry of Public Security) initiated legal proceedings, filing charges and detaining Phan Thi Mai, Director of Mailisa Beauty Salon LLC, and Hoang Kim Khanh (Mai’s husband), CEO of MK Skincare, along with six others, on charges of “Smuggling.”
Defendant Phan Thi Mai. Photo: Ministry of Public Security
According to the Ministry of Public Security, through intelligence gathering, C03 detected irregularities in the cosmetic business operations of companies within the Mailisa ecosystem, managed by Phan Thi Mai and Hoang Kim Khanh.
Preliminary investigations revealed that from 2020 to 2024, with the intent to import cosmetics into Vietnam for profit through the Mailisa beauty salon chain, Phan Thi Mai and her husband, Hoang Kim Khanh, agreed to purchase low-cost cosmetics manufactured in Guangzhou, China. These products lacked quality assurance, did not meet declared components, and were not eligible for a Certificate of Free Sale (CFS) in China.
Defendant Hoang Kim Khanh. Photo: Ministry of Public Security
Subsequently, they colluded with Chinese individuals to forge contracts and alter the origin of the cosmetics (from Guangzhou, China to Hong Kong) to obtain a CFS in Hong Kong (China). They then organized the illegal importation of these products into Vietnam, marketing them as Hong Kong-made cosmetics to attract domestic customers’ preferences and trust. These products were sold at prices significantly higher than their cost, resulting in illicit profits of thousands of billions of VND (based solely on three out of a hundred flagship products supplied by the Mailisa system in the market).
Mailisa Headquarters in Ho Chi Minh City Shuts Down Following CEO’s Indictment
On the morning of November 22nd, our reporter observed that Mailisa Beauty Clinic, located at 86-88-91 Huynh Van Banh Street, Cau Kieu Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, had temporarily ceased operations. This followed the arrest and prosecution of Ms. Phan Thi Mai, Director of Mailisa Beauty Clinic Co., Ltd., by the Ministry of Public Security’s Investigation Agency on charges of “smuggling.”
Exposing Mailisa Couple’s Billion-Dollar Scheme: Cheap Chinese Cosmetics Repackaged as Premium Foreign Products
Authorities have preliminarily determined that the couple, Mr. and Mrs. Phan Thi Mai, colluded with Chinese nationals to forge contracts and alter the origin of cosmetics (from Guangzhou, China to Hong Kong) to obtain CFS certification in Hong Kong, subsequently smuggling the products into Vietnam.
Mailisa Beauty Clinic Director Faces Criminal Charges
On November 21, 2025, the Investigation Police Agency for Corruption, Economic, and Smuggling Crimes initiated legal proceedings in the “Smuggling” case, involving MK Skincare Company and related entities and localities. Concurrently, they pressed charges and ordered the arrest and detention of Phan Thị Mai, Director of Mailisa Beauty Salon LLC, along with seven other individuals implicated in the crime of “Smuggling.”
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Unveiling the Tax Compliance of Mailisa Beauty Clinic in Dak Lak
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