Tests conducted by the Department of Health on South Korean-produced IPKN BB Cream, which made the news recently after it made a woman glow under black light, showed that while the product contains ingredients with fluorescent properties, the substances were not harmful.
Blemish balms, commonly known as BB cream, have become popular in recent years, as the product combines foundation, sun protection lotion and moisturizer in one mixture.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director-General Kang Jaw-jou (康照洲) said a chemical substance called disodium phenyl dibenzimidazole tetrasulfonate found in the cream acts as a sun protection agent. The substance gives off a fluorescent glow under ultraviolet light, but the fluorescence has nothing to do with whitening agents that can harm the body or increase the risk of cancer.
“Many chemical substances have fluorescent properties … the glow itself is not enough to determine whether [a substance] is safe or not,” Kang said.
The FDA said that because the substance was not known to pose health risks, its use in cosmetic products was fully legal in Taiwan, as well as in the EU, Australia and many other countries.
On Monday, reports said a Taiwanese woman who had used the cream discovered 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.
Fluorescent agents can be added to some products to increase their whitening property. Because there is no consensus on whether fluorescent agents can cause cancer, however, most countries do not ban them in cosmetic products
Although health authorities did not find that the sun protection ingredients contained any hazardous substances, inspectors said they would continue testing to ensure that other BB cream products sold in Taiwan are safe.
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
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