The Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has issued a public health alert to consumers regarding the use of three cosmetic products, including a Pakistani-origin skin-lightening cream, after they failed laboratory tests. As per the report, the laboratory tests revealed that the cosmetic products contained mercury and lead beyond permissible limits.
An FDA release ordered an immediate stop to the use, sale and distribution of the three cosmetic products. The three cosmetic products tested declared “Not of Standard Quality” (NSQ) by the FDA laboratory are Goree Beauty Cream, Face Fresh Gold (Beauty Cream + Beauty Serum), and Golden Star Beauty Cream. Out of these products, Goree Beauty Cream is reportedly of Pakistani origin. Because of the excessive presence of heavy metals in the products, they have been declared unfit for human use.
According to the FDA, the name and address of the manufacturer are not mentioned on the products, and they also lack mandatory label information such as the batch number, manufacturing date and expiry date. The missing necessary details raise further concerns about the authenticity and safety of these products. The FDA has directed retailers, wholesalers, distributors and e-commerce platforms to stop the sales, stock, and distribution, and withdraw available stocks and report the quantity of the stocks to the nearest FDA office.
The FDA alert comes after a criminal case was registered by the Mumbai police against a Chembur shopkeeper for stocking and selling Goree cream despite the Centre’s ban on imports from Pakistan. The action comes after the department intensified its crackdown on substandard medicines and cosmetics. According to FDA commissioner Tukaram Munde, the department raided 34 manufacturing units earlier in June, seizing illegal drugs, medical products and cosmetics worth Rs 4.12 crore. The raid led to the seizure of products worth Rs 2.86 crore and the prohibition on the sale of products worth Rs 1.26 crore.
In the same month, FDA laboratories tested 787 samples of drugs, cosmetics and medical products. 752 out of these products met quality standards, while 35 were declared NSQ, including sunscreens, kumkum, syrups, tablets, creams, shampoos and injections that failed tests for microbial contamination, potency, dissolution, sterility or labelling. Subsequently, nine FIRs were registered, and two individuals were arrested.
