The cosmetics seized by the administration mainly consisted of whitening creams such as 'Baiyansu', a three-in-one whitening set, 'Beauty Girl' green cucumber 6 Days double whitening soft essence cream, 'Bihuayn whitening day cream', 'Gakadi Freckle Removing Cream', 'Huayuenong 12 days whitening and speckle removing wrecking set', and 'White Advance' Hydroxytyrosol L-Glutathione whitening and anti-ageing cream.
According to the FDA's acting director general Dr. Kenneth Hartigan-Go, the issue for the Authority lay with the fact that the products had not received any application or issued any certificate of cosmetic notification in conformance with the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive and the Administration's rules and regulation.
“The FDA therefore declares that the following cosmetic products are unsafe and pose imminent danger or injury to consumers because they were not manufactured in compliance with the standards of the Code of current Good Manufacturing Practice or cGMP, and orders their ban and seizure from public sale or distribution,” he explained.
Furthermore, the acting director general says that these products may also contain heavy metals like lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic beyond the allowable limits based on the ASEAN standards. Continuous use of these products may cause adverse or allergic reactions that can result to severe or irreversible skin problem.
Counterfeit cosmetics an issue for this region
Public interest group the EcoWaste Coalition recently announced to its dismay, that despite efforts to rid the Philippine markets of mercury laden cosmetics, the toxic products continue to be sold in many stores in Manila and Cubao in Quezon City.
It comes just months after the same organization revealed similar test results from a study conducted in Quezon City, Philippines.
The Coalition has now also urged the Department of Interior and Local Government to mobilize local government units to fight the illegal trade and the Bureau of Customs to stop the smuggling of contraband cosmetics.
According to the FDA's health advisory, the chronic use of mercury-laced cosmetics “reduces skin’s normal resistance against bacterial and fungal infections.”