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: henna containing a prohibited ingredient, a hand cream preserved with MIT (prohibited in leave-on products) and a perfume with a methanol concentration exceeding the permitted threshold (5%).
Henna
Brand: Malki Mumtaz
Name: Henna Cone Mehndy
Batch number: 051
Barcode: 4011643677258
• Country of origin: Pakistan
• Notifying country: Austria
Risk type: chemical
The product contains phenol (measured value: 3.4%).
Phenol is corrosive, can cause eye and skin irritation or damage, and might be mutagenic.
The product does not comply with the Cosmetic Products Regulation.
Measures ordered by public authorities (to retailer): withdrawal of the product from the market (by retailer).
Hand cream
Brand: Caicui
Name: Hand Cream
Batch number: 20200924T3
Barcode: 6959192810666
• Country of origin: People’s Republic of China
• Notifying country: United Kingdom
Risk type: chemical
The product contains methylisothiazolinone (MI)(measured value: 0.0006%), which use is forbidden in leave-on cosmetic products.
MI is a strong sensitiser and can provoke allergic contact dermatitis to sensitised persons.
The product does not comply with the Cosmetic Products Regulation.
Measures taken by economic operators: withdrawal of the product from the marketplace (by retailer).
Perfume
Brand: Kartopu
Name: Limon eau de Cologne
Type: 80º Kolonya, s.n: 003
Barcode: 8691238987670
• Country of origin: Turkey
• Notifying country: Finland
Risk type: chemical
The product contains an excessive amount of methanol (measured value: 20%). Due to its appearance, the product may be mistaken for foodstuff, leading the user to ingest it.
Methanol is acutely toxic to the central nervous system and the eye. Ingestion of methanol may leads to blindness and death.
The product does not comply with the Cosmetic Products Regulation.
Measures taken by economic operators: Ban on the marketing of the product and any accompanying measures, recall of the product from end users, withdrawal of the product from the market (by distributor).
Source
• Rapid Alert System - Weekly Reports, Report 07, European Commission, February 14, 2020