MANILA, Philippines–When buying cosmetic products, choose only those authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and sold in legitimate outlets.
The FDA issued this advisory over the weekend after confirmatory tests it conducted on seven skin whitening products submitted by a nongovernment organization last year showed “violative levels” of mercury.
These products were Feique Herbal Extract Chinese Herbal Formula Whitening Anti-Freckle Set Anti-Melanin Anti-Freckle Whitening (2 in 1), Jiaoli Huichusu Intensive Whitening Sunscreen and Spots Removing Set, Mifton, BG Ginseng & Ganoderma Lucidum Natural Essence, BG Sea Pearl & Papaya Natural Essence 6 Days Specific Eliminating Freckle Whitening Sun Block Cream, Jiaoli Herbs Essence Whitening AB Set and Golden Pearl Beauty Cream.
“The products were tested for mercury and were confirmed to have mercury content beyond the 1 part per million (ppm) limit [set] by the Asean Cosmetic Directives as the acceptable limit,” said Dr. Kenneth Go, FDA acting director general.
He advised consumers to purchase only FDA-licensed beauty products from legitimate stores, adding that they could log on to www.fda.gov.ph to check whether or not a particular product has been approved by the government agency.
Go also appealed to mall owners to require their tenants to sell only cosmetic products sourced from distributors and importers with an FDA license to operate and product certificate of notification.
To ensure that no illegal or deadly cosmetic products were being sold in the market, FDA regulation officers were ordered to monitor, conduct inventories and confiscate all unauthorized cosmetic items.
“All local government units are requested to ensure that cosmetic products that do not have market authorization are not sold or offered for sale or use by ambulant and sidewalk vendors,” Go said.
He also asked the Bureau of Customs to prevent the entry of unregistered and toxic health products into the country.