APA News
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Analysis reveals dangerous cosmetics.
Work at Kent Scientific Services carried out under the direction of Public Analyst Jon Griffin established that five of items bought from a site on eBay contained either hydroquinone or corticosteroids. Pure White Dark Spot Corrector Serum contained both but did not list them as ingredients. The serum contained 10% hydroquinone. This is five times the limit that was allowed in cosmetics before a complete European ban in 2001. Following a four-year investigation by Southwark Council’s Trading Standards team Musiliu Olatunji Badejo, pleaded guilty to selling the banned cosmetics in April.
Between March 2020 and January 2023, he had used multiple eBay accounts to sell over 20,000 cosmetic products to UK customers, amassing £340,000. Most of the products from Ghana, Nigeria and Thailand were imported directly to his home. Anyone importing cosmetics into the UK to sell must carry out a safety assessment and keep detailed records about the products. During an Interview under caution Badejo admitted he had not carried out any safety assessments, claiming that he was not aware of the requirements.
In a “press release” Councillor Natasha Ennin, Cabinet Member for Community Safety at Southwark Council, said: “The sale of illegal and dangerous skin lighteners is abhorrent. Southwark Council is committed to keep people safe and our trading standards team is one of the most proactive in the country in tackling this toxic trade.Labour MP Kim Johnson is calling for tougher government restrictions on the sale of these items, telling The Independent “Illegal skin lightening products are incredibly dangerous, not just because of the physical harm they can do but also because they reinforce Eurocentric beauty standards and valorise fair skin at the expense of darker complexions.”
