A cosmetics company on Friday announced a recall of three batches of skin cream containing a banned estrogenic substance, a day after a doctor said that several children who used a skin cream showed signs of early puberty.
We Charming Enterprise Co (誼辰佳國際實業) said in a statement on Facebook that it is recalling three batches of its Allergic Skin Cream (菁萃深效修護霜), because it contains an ingredient that is not permitted for use in cosmetics.
The three batches are No. 0538, which expires on Dec. 9, 2024; No. 1532, which expires on March 17, 2025; and No. 1533, which expires on May 3, 2025.
The company said that it received a report late last month from a person who organized a group purchase of the product saying that her daughter and her classmates were showing signs of early puberty after using the cream in July and August.
We Charming said it sent samples from seven batches in its stock and another from a batch being filled at a factory to SGS Taiwan for laboratory testing.
The results showed that three batches contained estrogen, it said, adding that it was contacting customers and had issued a recall.
The Food and Drug Administration yesterday confirmed that it received reports about the product, and that the Taoyuan Department of Public Health is investigating the case.
As certain components of estrogen are banned for use in cosmetic products, the company could face a fine of between NT$20,000 and NT$5 million (US$622 and US$155,531) for breaching the Cosmetic Hygiene and Safety Act (化妝品衛生安全管理法), it said.
On Thursday afternoon, Huang Shih-kang (黃世綱), who specializes in pediatric endocrinology, wrote on Facebook that some doctors had reported that several young children, aged two or three, were showing signs of early breast development.
In a more serious case of precocious puberty, a three-year-old child was reported to have started menstruating, he wrote.
Huang said the cases were found to have used the same body cream, but as he did not have direct evidence of a causal relationship between the cream and the incidents of precocious puberty, he could not reveal the brand and product name.
He wrote that it was a care product for adult women being misused on children with eczema.
He advised parents not to expose children to cosmetic products for women that claim to “postpone aging” or improve skin condition.
Additional reporting by CNA
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