KUALA LUMPUR: More than 40 women from across Malaysia are claiming they suffered from adverse side effects after using a skincare product sold on social media.
The product is a night cream which retails at RM450 for a 30g jar, with one buyer admitting to spending a total of RM14,260 on these products.
“My skin went through good and bad periods,” said a 33-year-old housewife who only wanted to be known as Ng, at a press conference organised by MCA’s Public Services and Complaints Bureau chief Datuk Seri Michael Chong here yesterday.
Ng and several other women at the press conference said they experienced redness, sensitivity and bumps where the product was applied. Others reported severe skin lesions that required medical consultations.
Some claimed that the product affected their pregnancies.
A woman known only as Loke, 27, who began using the product in 2021 and continued its usage throughout her pregnancy, claimed that this could be the reason why her baby suffers skin issues.
“I didn’t have this issue with my first child so I suspect it has something to do with this product,” she said.
Loke was one of 14 women in the group who reported complications with their babies following the use of the product.
Ng, 37, who started using the product in 2022, said she reached out to the seller before purchasing to ask if it was safe to be used during pregnancy.
“She said the product was 100% natural and safe to use while pregnant,” said Ng, who believed that the loss of her pregnancy at the 38th week was linked to the use of the product.
On his part, Chong asserted that there is currently no official evidence that guarantees the product is harmless to the foetus, and that further medical reports and lab results are pending.
“We are now awaiting medical reports on cases where miscarriages are believed to have occurred,” he said, adding that this is not the first time such allegedly cosmetics-involved incidents occurred.
He said the Health Ministry has been informed although it has yet to follow up with enforcement.
“We don’t want to victimise or accuse anyone, but we believe that the victims have a right to justice,” he said.
A statement from the Health Ministry on Feb 5 revealed that the product in question contained mercury and has since been prohibited from being sold in Malaysia.
A majority of the affected women have since lodged police reports over the incident.
MCA Selangor’s Public Services and Complaints Bureau head Ivan Tan urged consumers not to be distracted by sellers that focus solely on the efficacy of any product, or how quickly it is selling.
“Be cautious if (sellers) do not list who the manufacturer is or what the ingredients are,” he said, proposing short and long term approaches which health officials could take to prevent similar incidents from recurring.
He recommended the implementation of random checks on cosmetic products, and urged the government to seek advice from experts, including doctors, to develop guidelines for a product review process.
Tan also said MCA has been approached by a lawyer claiming to represent the distributor to seek a settlement for the issue.
“There’s a possibility for a settlement, but nothing is confirmed,” he said.
While noting that while most of the users are seeking refunds and reimbursement for their medical expenses, he acknowledged that some might be seeking more drastic action.
“We know that settlements are not the only solution. We just want to help as many women as we can,” he said.
