Customs to seize banned skin whiteners

MANILA, Philippines - Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez said yesterday they will seize any shipment of imported cosmetic and skin whitening products that were earlier ordered banned by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Alvarez said the Bureau of Customs has been coordinating with the FDA to prevent the entry of these harmful skin whiteners in the market.

“We would place these shipments on hold and then they (FDA representatives) would be the ones who would conduct an investigation,” Alvarez said.

“We have not yet received an official communication. But we have already read about it in the newspapers so we have already conducted a research and checked the FDA website. It is a good thing that their website is updated and we have already disseminated the information,” he added.

The FDA banned the sale of at least 27 skin whiteners found to contain toxic levels of mercury.

Among these products are BIB Night Cream Whitening Cream – 922, Pretty Model Whitening and Freckle Removing (Day Cream and Night Cream-Set), Pretty Girl 10 Day Special Cream, Pretty Girl Green Cucumber and Ginseng Cream, Liliki Whitening Day Cream – 911, Liliki Whitening Night Cream – 912, New Miss Beauty Magic Cream, Jiaoli Rejuvenation Essence 10 Days Speckle Removing, Jaio Liang 7 Days Eliminating Freckle AB Set, Jiao Liang 10 Days Eliminating Fredkle AB Set, Beauty Girl 6 Days Specific Eliminating Fredkle Whitening Cream Egg White, and Tomato 3in1 and Beautiful Dream Whitening Anti-Speckle and Anti-Acne Kit.

The FDA also banned the sale of Miss Beauty Magic Cream, Miss Beauty Excellent Therapy Whitening Cream, Dagette and Ramsdell Underarm Lightening Cream, Lanmeirou 12 Days Whiten and Speckle Removing Suit, Berglotus Spot Removing Series, Yoko Gentlemen Cream for Men, Jonathan Clearing Facial Spots 12 Day Cream, The Flower Woman 7-day Whitening and Spot and Night Set Cream, Sara Glutathione Sheep Placenta Whitening and Anti-Spot Cream, Aichun Beauty Green Tea Whitening Speckle Removing Series Cream, and Aichun Beauty Whitening Freckle Day and Night Cream.

 Most of these harmful skin whiteners came from Taiwan and Hong Kong while a few were from China, Thailand and the United States.