PUTRAJAYA: Three beauty products were banned by the Health Ministry yesterday because they contain scheduled poisons, tretinoin and hydroquinone.The ministry’s senior director of Pharmaceutical Services, Eisah A Rahman, said the banned products were Zara Rejuvenation Cream produced by Mum Bio Cos Manufacturing Sdn Bhd, Beauty Line Beautitude Multi-Purpose Cream by Beauty Line Skin Care & Cosmetic Sdn Bhd, and Pigmentation Recovery Complex by Mycreme Skin Care Products.
“The public are therefore advised not to buy and use the products,” she said in a statement here.
Eisah said the use of tretinoin and hydroquinone in beauty products were prohibited as they could cause adverse side effects.
According to her, tretinoin could cause redness to the skin, discomfort, peeling of the skin and hyper-sensitivity to the sun’s rays, while hydroquinone could also cause similar effects, besides skin discolouration.
Eisah said while the use of hydroquinone could reduce pigmentation, it also reduced resistance to the sun’s ultraviolet rays and excessive exposure to the sun, giving the risk of skin cancer.
She said excessive depigmentation was also risky for those living in tropical climate.
Eisah advised those with stocks of the banned beauty products to immediately stop the sale, distribution and use of the products as it was an offence under the Control of Drugs and Cosmetics Regulations 1984 to possess these products.
The offenders can be fined up to RM25,000 or jailed for up to three years or both for the first offence, and fined up to RM50,000 or jailed for up to five years or both for a repeated offence.
The cosmetics company involved can also be fined up to RM50,000 for the first offence and up to RM100,000 for the following offence. — Bernama