Health Ministry bans eight cosmetic products

PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry has named eight cosmetic products that contain traces of scheduled poison which are harmful to health.
The products are Moleek Day Cream; Adel Miracle Flawless Serum, Ah Beauty Night Cream, NDZ UV Whitening, Snow Cream Normal, Snow Cream Sensitive, Dnars Nar Cream — Sensitive and Ellfie Night Cream.
Moleek Day Cream, Adel Miracle Flawless Serum and Ah Beauty Night Cream were found to contain mercury; NDZ UV Whitening has hydroquinone; while Snow Cream Normal, Snow Cream Sensitive, Dnars Nar Cream — Sensitive and Ellfie Night Cream, contain hydroquinone and tretinoin.
Director-General of Health Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the notifications of the cosmetic products have been cancelled by the ministry's Pharmacy Service senior director after detecting scheduled poison materials in the products.
"Products containing hydroquinone and tretinoin are pharmaceutical items that need to be registered with the Drug Control Authority and can only be used with advice from health professionals.
"Cosmetic products adulterated with hydroquinone can cause redness on the skin, discomfort, undesirable skin discolouration and can cause hypersensitive skin.
"The effects of the use of hydroquinone can reduce skin protection from UV rays, which can increase the risk of skin cancer," he said in a statement.
As such, the ministry has revoked its recognition of these products and they can no longer be sold.
Noor Hisham said cosmetic products mixed with tretinoin which is typically used to promote acne treatment and help reduce wrinkles is also harmful.
"The use of tretinoin without supervision can cause redness on the skin, discomfort, burning, peeling and hypersensitivity to sunlight.
"Cosmetic products adulterated with mercury can be harmful to health as the materials can be absorbed into the body and cause damage to the kidneys and nervous system," he said.
He warned consumers not to buy and use the eight cosmetic products.
"Those who have bought and used the products are advised to discontinue and consult a health professional if you experience any discomfort or side effects," he said.