Every week, dedicated European portals (Safety Gate for the European Union, Safety Database for the United Kingdom) list the non-compliant and/or dangerous products detected on the market by the control authorities. Here are the cosmetic products that are subject to a recall or a marketing ban this week: a lightening cream formulated with an ingredient prohibited in cosmetics and baby powder containing asbestos.
Whitening cream
Brand: Dream Cosmetics
Name: Caro White
Barcode: 6181100530070
Batch number: 13/29905-B
• Country of origin: Ivory Coast
• Notifying country: Italy
Risk type: chemical
The product contains hydroquinone. Hydroquinone is a skin sensitiser and may cause allergic contact dermatitis.
The product does not comply with the Cosmetic Products Regulation.
Measures ordered by public authorities (to importer): withdrawal of the product from the market.
Baby powder
Brand: Purity
Name: Essentials Baby Powder
Barcodes: 6009523601859, 6009523601866, 6009523601828, 6009523604515
• Country of origin: South Africa
• Notifying country: United Kingdom
Risk type: chemical
The product has been identified as containing trace levels of asbestos in test samples from a batch of pharmaceutical-grade talc powder used as raw material in the production of finished powder products.
Corrective measures: recall of product from end users.
Source
• Safety Gate: the EU rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products, Report 2022-40, European Commission, 7 October 2022
• Product Safety Database - Unsafe Product Report, Office for Product Safety & Standards, 6 October 2022