Illicit Economy: A Growing Threat to Public Health and Legitimate Markets

In recent years, an alarming trend has emerged in the Brazilian economy—the proliferation of illegal trade. According to data from the Federal Revenue Service, seizures of weight loss supplements have increased exponentially since 2025, jumping from R$ 4 million to over R$ 80 million within the same period this year. Experts point out that such evolution reflects a complex and articulated criminal economic system capable of diversifying its activities to target sensitive markets like personal health products. The impact of this parallel economy is multifaceted: not only in terms of uncollected taxes, but also on market information reliability and competitive balance between legitimate businesses and illegal operators. Specialized professionals warn that such phenomena can directly affect consumer confidence and the sustainability of regulated sectors, potentially increasing production costs and ultimately raising prices for consumers. The Mercado Ilegal seminar held in August served as a meeting point among representatives from the business sector, government, and academia, where strategies to mitigate this systemic risk were discussed.