The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday said it would test a so-called “BB cream” product imported from South Korea suspected of containing potentially hazardous agents that recently made a woman glow in the dark at a nightclub.
Blemish balms, commonly known as BB cream, have gained in popularity in recent years as the product combines foundation, sun protection lotion and moisturizer all in one mixture.
Recent reports said that a Taiwanese woman who used the BB cream manufactured by South Korea-based IPKN realized while in a nightclub that her face was giving off a bluish fluorescent glow under the black light. The sheen made her fear the product could contain harmful substances or have unexpected side effects.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it had instructed local health officials to immediately conduct tests on IPKN’s BB cream.
If the product tests positive for fluorescent agents, which the company claims the BB cream formula does not contain, the company could face fines of up to NT$100,000, said Chang Chien Chi-jui (張簡啟瑞), a section chief at the FDA’s medical devices and cosmetics division.
“The results of the product test will be available in about a week,” Chang said.
“If health authorities determine that the company has added substances that violate regulations, the product will be ordered off the shelves and customers will be entitled to a full refund,” she said.
Fluorescent agents can be added to some products to increase their whitening property. As there is no consensus on whether fluorescent agents can cause cancer, however, most countries do not ban it in cosmetic products, Chang said.
She said the FDA would soon invite experts and academics to discuss whether it should ban the substance in cosmetic products sold in Taiwan.
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