HSA Issued Warning for 4 Skin Creams With Potent Ingredients After an Infant Was Hospitalized

There’s a reason why you shouldn’t anyhowly buy health products from unreliable sources.

This latest case revealed by Health Science Authority of Singapore is one of them.

Today, the HSA released a statement about four skin creams that contains potent ingredients that are undeclared.

They are:

1. a) An unlabelled diaper cream supplied by a traditional practitioner in Malaysia
2. b) ‘D’Splendid Kidzema Cream’
3. c) ‘CLAĺR DE LUNE P. Tuberose Day Cream’ & ‘CLAĺR DE LUNE S. Involcurata Night Cream’

So, what are they and why are they ‘banned’?

As your online BFF, we’ll try to simplify everything to you.

An unlabelled diaper cream supplied by a traditional practitioner in Malaysia

Apparently, an infant who’s less than one year old was hospitalized after using the unlabelled cream from Malaysia, and has developed Cushing’s syndrome, a condition that caused the baby to have ‘moon-face’, ‘buffalo hump’ on the back (due to fat accumulation), excessive hair growth on the body and thinning of the skin.

Fortunately, she has been discharged and is undergoing outpatient treatment.

The cream is founded to contain betamethasone valerate (a potent steroid) and clotrimazole (an antifungal medicine).

Because it’s unlabelled, no one knows what brand it is, so the rule of the thumb is don’t anyhowly use unbranded cream.

D’Splendid Kidzema Cream

Now, do take note of this as this cream is sold in Singapore retail outlets, so do check if you have them in your house. A mother who purchased ‘D’Splendid Kidzema Cream’ for her child’s eczema observed that it cleared up after only two applications of the cream.

Goody? Of course not.

The eczema worsened three days after she stopped the use of the cream. The cream was sold by D’Splendid on its website, at sales booths and other retail outlets.

But here’s the problem: it was labelled to relieve skin rashes, eczema, haemorrhoids and mosquito bites for babies and children up to 14 years old.

However, HSA tested and found that it contained ciprofloxacin (an antibiotic) and terbinafine (an antifungal medicine). Creams containing terbinafine are not recommended for use in children under the age of 12, while ciprofloxacin is a prescription only medicine that should only be used under medical supervision.

Inappropriate use of antibiotics and antifungals can lead to decreased effectiveness for future infections.

HSA has directed the company to stop the sale of ‘D’Splendid Kidzema Cream’ and to recall the affected product from retail outlets.

CLAĺR DE LUNE P. Tuberose Day Cream &  CLAĺR DE LUNE S. Involcurata Night Cream

Unlike the above cream, these are used for cosmetics and are sold primarily online.

A consumer who used the products reported that her eczema flared when she stopped using them. The creams were tainted with multiple potent ingredients including a steroid (in the day cream), an antihistamine (in the night cream), antibiotics, and antifungal medicines in both. Use of creams with these potent ingredients can lead to adverse effects, such as thinning of the skin (from prolonged steroid use), skin rash and skin irritation.

The products also carried false and misleading claims of ‘all-natural plant-based ingredients’ and ‘zero chemical’. Website administrators of the local e-commerce platforms have been directed to remove the postings for these creams.

Advisory for Consumers

It’s tempting to buy cheaper alternatives online, but the price of visiting a doctor soon after that is usually more costly.

Here’s HSA’s advice:

• Visit a doctor if you or your child has used any of these abovementioned products
• Exercise caution when buying health products for babies and children
• Do not use unlabelled products
• Be wary that not all products that claim to be “all-natural plant-based product” or “zero chemical” actually are what they claim to be.

They’ve also done a video to educate us more about this:

It’s illegal to sell and supply adulterated products which contain undeclared potent medicinal ingredients. Anyone who supplies such adulterated products is liable to prosecution and if convicted, may be imprisoned for up to 3 years and/or fined up to $100,000

If you know anyone selling them, you can do everyone a favour by contacting HSA’s Enforcement Branch at Tel: 6866-3485 during office hours (Monday to Friday) or email: [email protected].

In the meantime, stay safe!