Better check before you buy your beauty products, everyone! The Ministry of Health (MOH) in Malaysia has recently sent out a media statement, urging people not to buy or use these 14 cosmetic products after they discovered that the products contain scheduled poison that is harmful to health.
These are the 14 products listed by MOH:
Source: KP Kesihatan
Director-General of Health, Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said that these 14 items had ingredients that consisted of mercury, hydroquinone, tretinoin, and diphenhydramine. Products that contain hydroquinone, tretinoin, and diphenhydramine are classified as pharmaceutical products. They have to be registered with the Drug Control Authority (DCA) of Malaysia and can only be used with professional medical advice. Cannot simply buy over-the-counter!
Source: KP Kesihatan
Source: KP Kesihatan
So, what exactly would happen if you use products that are made of these ingredients?
- Hydroquinone – This ingredient is usually used to brighten skin as well as lighten spots and skin tone. However, without professional medical advice, using skincare with hydroquinone will result in skin redness, discomfort, and discolouration, which will lead to hypersensitive skin. This ingredient works by blocking the pigmentation process and can increase the risk of skin cancer too.
- Tretinoin – Tretinoin is marketed as an ingredient that can reduce acne and slow down the formation of wrinkles. If used wrongly, it can cause the skin to experience redness, discomfort, pain, peeling, and hypersensitiveness to the sunlight.
- Diphenhydramine – This ingredient is meant to offer temporary relief for itchiness and pain caused by insect bites, minor sunburn and skin irritation. When used without medical supervision, this can cause the skin to be more sensitive to sunlight and lead to terrible skin allergies.
- Mercury – Now, mercury has been used in the past to brighten skin tone and for anti-ageing purposes but this is actually a dangerous ingredient. Mercury in cosmetics can be absorbed into the body and cause damage to the kidneys and nervous system. It can also be detrimental to small children as they can be exposed to the effects of mercury when adults apply it on their skin and then the kids touch or smell the product. So scary!
Source: KP Kesihatan
Source: KP Kesihatan
Noor Hisham warns sellers and distributors of these dangerous cosmetic products to stop all sales immediately as they are violating the Control of Drugs and Cosmetics Regulations 1984. He says that any individual found guilty of doing so will be fined a maximum of RM25,000 and jailed for three years for the first offence and a maximum fine of RM50,000 and jailed for five years for the next offence.
For companies who are convicted, they will have to pay a maximum of RM50,000 fine for the first offence and RM100,000 for the following offences.
Source: KP Kesihatan
Source: KP Kesihatan
If you have any enquiries about cosmetic products, you can email them to kosmetik@npra.gov.my or check out their website here for more information.
Stay safe and only buy your cosmetics from reputable sources!
Also read: Makeup From These 8 Korean Brands Are Being Recalled For Having Harmful Metal Elements
