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Hong Kong Consumer Council calls for mandatory labelling on skin care products amid high rate of reaction-causing ingredients
2017-02-20

From:South China Morning Post

Of 61 lotions surveyed, 57 were found to contain elements such as lanolin, preservatives or fragrance


Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog has called for mandatory labelling on all skin care products after dozens of lotions were found to contain ingredients that could trigger allergic reactions.

Out of 61 body lotions studied by the Consumer Council, 57 contained ingredients such as lanolin, fragrances or preservatives.

“These preservatives, fragrances and also different kinds of ingredients...would lead to the possibility of skin eruptions, redness, rashes or maybe an allergy,” the council’s chief executive Gilly Wong Fung-han said.

Of the six lotions branded as suitable for infants, one contained urea, which can cause skin irritations. And of the seven that contained formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, one was labelled as suitable for eczema patients, even tough the ingredient can cause allergic reactions.

Four of the 61 products surveyed, however, did not provide any ingredient labelling whatsoever, prompting the watchdog to call for legislation to make it mandatory to list all ingredients.

The watchdog also revealed that 325 consumer complaints had been received against skin care products in 2016, almost double the amount seen in 2015.
Brands quickly jumped to their products’ defence following the council’s findings on Wednesday.

French skin care company Caudalie, which had one lotion found to contain nine different kinds of fragrance allergens, told the council it had not received any complaints about allergies in the 21 years their product had been on the market.
Crabtree & Evelyn said its Caribbean Island Wild Flowers Body Lotion contains a very low level of fragrance, which is within international standards. The Body Shop similarly said the level of cyclopentasiloxane – a type of silicone used in skin care products – in its products is very low and there is no evidence to suggest it affects human hormone levels.

Dermatologist Dr Louis Shih Tai-cho said the preservatives and ingredients named by the council were commonly found in other products, such as shampoos and toothpastes. As long as the dosages were low, he said there was no reason to be nervous.

“You need preservatives in the products otherwise they turn bad easily. My advice is that consumers should choose products from reputable brands, so that if anything is found to be wrong about the product, a global recall can be launched,” he said.

Democratic Party’s lawmaker Helena Wong Pik-wan backed the call for ingredient labels, and went one step further by requesting quantities also be listed.

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