Warning that unauthorized cosmetics are being sold online

(EcoWaste Coalition warns online shoppers against buying illicit cosmetics from China, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam)

Quezon City. The EcoWaste Coalition has drawn attention to the spread of unauthorized cosmetics on online shopping platforms, despite the efforts of health authorities to control the illegal sale of such products.

The public health and environment watchdog has warned potential buyers against paying for products whose quality and safety cannot be guaranteed because they have not submitted and obtained the necessary product notification certificates.

Apart from the three variants of Pakistani Goree Beauty Cream, which are available despite the ban, online shopping sites offer other prohibited cosmetics from abroad, in flagrant disregard of Republic Act No. 9711 or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Act, which prohibits the importation, distribution, and sale of health products, including cosmetics, without proper authorization from the agency.

Mercury-containing BL Vterly (right) from China and fake RDL (left) from Indonesia can be easily purchased from online sellers.

To demonstrate this brazen disregard for the law, the group conducted test purchases of skin lightening products made in China, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam that are sold to Filipino online consumers.

The group was able to acquire 15 unauthorized products from Vietnam (5 products), China (4 products), Thailand (4 products) and Indonesia (2 products), including three products previously banned by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA ) for being offered for sale without the proper permission of the agency.

Despite the health warnings issued by the FDA in 2021, the group still managed to purchase Thai I-Doll Underarm Whitening Cream and OHO Underarm Whitening Cream from online sellers.

The group also bought a counterfeit Indonesian RDL Whitening Treatment Day & Night Cream, which the FDA banned in 2019 at the request of the EcoWaste Coalition. While the day cream tested negative for mercury, the night cream was found to contain 87 parts per million (ppm) of mercury, exceeding the one ppm limit for mercury as a contaminant under the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive.

Another product purchased, Chinese BL Vterly Day and Night Cream, was also contaminated with 1,701 ppm mercury (night cream).

The presence of mercury in the two products was determined by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) screening.

Below is a list of unauthorized products sold by online sellers on Lazada and Shoppee that the EcoWaste Coalition has purchased and tested for mercury:

From Vietnam: D-Now Whitening Cream, Emoon Cream, Rojzy Jiali, Shee Na and Thanh Hien Pearl Cream
From China: BL Vterly Acne Cream, BL Vterly Day & Night Cream, Houmai Skin Whitening & Freckle Removing Cream and Yanli
From Thailand: AR Vic C Hya Ampit Whitening Cream, I-Doll White Armpit CREAM, Oho Underarm Whitening Cream and Zale Plus White Beauty & Whitening Facial Cream
From Indonesia: Counterfeit RDL Whitening Treatment Day and Night Cream (2 Jars) and RDL Whitening Treatment (1 Jar)

Echoing the FDA’s advice, the EcoWaste Coalition urged online shoppers to refrain from buying unauthorized health products such as cosmetics.

Before making any purchase, consumers are advised to verify whether the product is authorized or unauthorized by using the FDA verification portal at https://verification.fda.gov.ph.

According to the FDA, “potential hazards (from the use of an unauthorized product) may come from ingredients that cannot be part of the cosmetic product or from heavy metal contamination.”

“The use of substandard and possibly adulterated cosmetic products may result in adverse reactions including, but not limited to, skin irritation, itching, anaphylactic shock, and organ failure,” the FDA said.

To avoid exposure to toxic chemicals, EcoWaste Coalition emphasized that “embracing our natural skin tone is the easiest way to protect women and others from mercury and other dangerous substances in some lightening products.”

Literature:

(Oho)
(I’m a doll)
(RDL)