You may have them in your cupboards. Maybe, you use them, still. Beware: they are dangerous, illegal, harmful… and are the subject of a recall or ban by the European sanitary authorities. Underneath, you may find all the cosmetic products targeted by the RAPEX alert system this week: a hand cream contaminated with bacteria.
Hand cream
Brand: Elcurina 
Name: Intensiv Handcreme mit Sheabutter & Allantoin
Batch number: 00760
• Country of origin: Germany
• Notifying country: Germany
Risk type: Microbiological
The product contains an excessive amount of aerobic mesophilic bacteria (measured value up to: 30000 cfu/g), among which Pluralibacter gergoviae, as well as yeast and mould (measured value up to: 2000 cfu/g).
Pluralibacter gergoviae may be considered an opportunistic pathogen and is often resistant to antibiotics.
If the product is used on damaged skin, on mucous membranes, close to the eyes or by immunocompromised users, it may cause infection or irritation.
The product does not comply with the Cosmetic Products Regulation.
Measures taken by economic operators: destruction of the product, marking the product with appropriate warnings on the risks, recall of the product from end users, stop of sales, warning consumers of the risks, Withdrawal of the product from the market (by distributor and manufacturer)
Source
• Rapid Alert System - Weekly Reports, Report 32, European Commission, August 7, 2020
