MANILA (AFP) - Philippine health regulators said
Wednesday 24 February they had banned nine more apparently
Chinese-made cosmetic products because they were found to contain
dangerous levels of mercury.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tests of the facial creams,
seven advertised as cure for freckles and two others as
"skin-whitening," prompted the latest advisory.
"Collected on separate occasions at various establishments, (they)
contain heavy metal (mercury) exceeding the allowable limit of one
part per million," the advisory said.
The
FDA issued a similar warning two weeks ago for three other creams,
all bearing the Jiao Li brand.
Bureau
director Nazarita Tacandong said on Wednesday 24 February four of
the nine other creams bore the same Jiao Li brand. The others were
Xin Jiao Li, Jiao Liang, Xin Jiao Liang, Jiao Mei, and Jiao
Yan.
They
were imported without government authority, she said, and ordered
them seized. She also warned shops stocking these products that
they faced criminal prosecution.
Tacandong previously said the Jiao Li creams were apparently
manufactured in China. She could not be reached for comment
Wednesday 24 February, and the bureau did not say where the other
brands were manufactured.
Many
Filipinos go to great lengths to make their skin appear lighter
than its natural brown, believing this would make them more
attractive.