Trading Standards issue imported ethnic cosmetics warning
Warwickshire County Council’s Trading Standards Service is warning users of imported ethnic cosmetics to take precautions after a Trading Standards investigation revealed that 29 per cent of products tested contained banned substances.
The Central England Trading Standards Authorities, or CEnTSA, tested products being sold in shops across the Midlands. The products tested were largely aimed at the Asian community and included henna, skin lightening creams, eyeliners, mehndi, kajal, soaps, and nail henna.
Those products which were suspected of containing banned substances were seized and any which were labelled incorrectly were removed from sale. Businesses were advised and provided with a comprehensive guide to products known to contain banned substances.
Of those products tested, some 72% were incorrectly labelled and 29% contained banned and toxic substances, including lead, mercury and hydroquinone. A range of enforcement methods were applied from removal of the product to the prosecution of the importer.
In order to avoid purchasing unsafe products or using products incorrectly and therefore in a potentially harmful way, Warwickshire Trading Standards Service advises the following:
Buy from reputable outlets and make sure you have sufficient information about the product to be able to use it safely.
If the product is not labelled in English then it will not comply with the labelling requirements and probably has not been assessed for safety.
Products produced for non EU countries may well not comply with the UK and EU safety laws. These laws state that all cosmetic products brought into the UK should have been assessed for safety by a registered pharmacist, a registered medical practitioner, a chartered biologist or a chartered chemist.
Trading Standards Officers are also advising retailers that they must take care to buy from reputable wholesalers and importers and must seek advice as to how to comply with the law.
Although Warwickshire Trading Standards were not involved directly in this investigation, they understand that many people from ethnic minority communities in Warwickshire may travel to other areas of the Midlands to purchase these sorts of products or may be ordering them over the Internet etc.