Newses Poisonous cosmetics taken off shelves

It seems women could indeed be suffering for beauty, with some skin whiteners and vitamin creams found to contain the same toxic chemicals used to make paper and fabrics.

The Food and Drugs Monitoring Agency (BPOM) said Wednesday it had banned 27 types of cosmetic products made by 18 different brands.

The products — mostly skin whiteners and vitamin creams — were banned because they were found to contain harmful chemicals, including mercury, retinoic acid and red color types K10 and K3, a BPOM official said.

The ban is the result of a BPOM investigation and clinical testing that began in 2007.

Use of the products can lead to burns, black spots, skin cancer, permanent nerve damage, liver failure and even miscarriages, BPOM head Husniah Rubiana Thamrin said Wednesday.

“The chemical ingredients found in the products, especially the coloring agents, are usually used for paper, fabrics and ink. They’re very dangerous to humans,” she said.

Of the 27 items, 11 were imported from Japan and China and eight were locally produced, Husniah said, adding the origin of the rest remained unclear.

She said some of the products had not been registered with the BPOM, and others used fake bar codes.

“For example when we checked with the Japan Food and Drugs Monitoring Agency, it said they had never had Docter Kayama products and that there was no such factory in Japan. This means the products might have been produced locally,” she said.

“We have been conducting raids on traditional markets and malls since January 2007. We have confiscated 3,555 items. Some of the products were quite famous and could cost millions (of rupiah) just for one item.”

One such product is Putri Salju, which is produced by Ngongoh cosmetics in Bekasi and is priced at Rp 1.5 million (US$120), she said. The BPOM had discovered it was being produced in a small beauty shop inside a chicken market.

An employee of the company formerly known as Doctor Kayama said all its products had been withdrawn a few months ago, including from counters at its mall outlets.

The clinic, on Jl. Barito, South Jakarta, has changed its name to GMT Gold Clinic and stopped producing all such products.

Nicole Rebecka, a 28-year-old consumer of Doctor Kayama cosmetics, said she had once had a bad reaction to one of the company’s creams.

Putri K. Wardani, Mustika Ratu vice president director and member of the Association of Cosmetic Companies in Indonesia (PERKOSMI), said many dangerous products were still in circulation in markets, even though the association and BPOM always consulted the cosmetic industry on preventive measures.

Banned products:

- Doctor Kayama night cream
- Doctor Kayama day cream
- MRC Putri Salju cream
- MRC PS Crystal cream
- LOCOS anti-fleck vitamin E
- BLOSSOM day cream
- BLOSSOM night cream
- Meei Yung
- New Rody face cream
- Shee Na face cream
- Ibu Sari day cream
- Aily Cake Eye Shadow
- Baolishi Eye Shadow
- Cameo Make Up Kit 3-in-1
- Nuobeier Blush On
- CRESSIDA eye shadow
- MEIXUE YIZU eye shadow
- SYUTSU eye shadow and some brandless face creams