LIST: KEBS bans 435 cosmetics over contamination with mercury, hydroquinone
- According to a statement issued by KEBS on Tuesday, the said beauty products including soaps, skin-lightening creams and lotions have not been registered by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of the Ministry of Health for medical use and should only be applied under the directions of a medical doctor.
The Kenya Bureau of Statistics (KEBS) has banned 435 different brands of cosmetics over their alleged contamination with mercury and hydroquinone forms of drug compounds.
According to a statement issued by KEBS on Tuesday, the said beauty products including soaps, skin-lightening creams and lotions have not been registered by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of the Ministry of Health for medical use and should only be applied under the directions of a medical doctor.
KEBS, therefore, prohibits the sale of the listed brands, further threatening legal action against any firm found dealing in the products.
“KEBS wishes to notify the public that the below-listed cosmetic brands are banned and therefore should not be sold. The products contain harmful substances which are hydroquinone, mercury and its compounds,” read the statement.
“The prohibition/ban is aimed at protecting unsuspecting consumers and discouraging dumping of these products in the Kenyan Market. Hydroquinone, Mercury, oxidizing agents and hormonal preparations are used for treating various medical conditions.”
The statement added: “They are classified as drugs and should be applied only upon the advice and direction of a medical doctor. All skincare preparations like creams, lotions, gels, soaps, etc. containing hydroquinone, steroids and hormonal preparations should be registered by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of the Ministry of Health for medical use.”
KEBS cautions on the long-term effects of the products such as rashes, swelling, redness or peeling, fatigue, weakness, bone pain, skin discolouration, kidney damage, digestive illnesses, and nervous diseases
Products which have been quantified fit for use include; Betnovate, Mediven, Diprosone, Nerisone, Hydrocortisone, 0xy 5 and 0xy 10.
Here is the full list of the outlawed products.
SOAPS CONTAINING MERCURY AND ITS COMPOUNDS
- Movate
- Mekako
- Jaribu
- Tura
- Acura
- Rico
- Fair lady
- Elegance
- Miki
- Jambo
SKIN LIGHTENING CREAMS CONTAINING MERCURY AND ITS COMPOUNDS
- Pimplex medicated cream
- Pimplex medicated cream
- New shirley medicated cream
- Cream preparations containing hydrogen peroxide(h2o2)
- Hot movate gel
- Tenovate
- Soft and beautiful cream
- Unic clear super cream
- Peau claire gel plus
- Peau claire cream
- Jolen cream, skin preparations continting steroids
- Movate cream, skin success gel
- Amira –c
- Neu clear gel
- Body clear cream spot remover
- Top gel plus
- Lemonvate cream, secret gel
- Tcb gel plus
- Topifram cream
- Skin balance lemon cream
- Dermo -gel plus
- Fashion fair gel plus
- Visible difference gel
- Sivoclair cream
- Action demovate cream
- Regge lemon gel
- Ultimate lady gel
- topifram gel plus
- Age renewal cream
- Fair & white gel plus
- Peau clair gel plus
- Fashion fair cream
- First class lady cream
- Skin success cream
- Neu clear cream plus
- Jaribu beta – β cream
- Body treat cream spot remover
- Clair & lovely gel, peau clair cream
- Soft & beautiful gel
- Action demovate gel plus
- Prosone gel
- Skin balance gel wrinkle remover
- Ultra-gel plus
- Pro-one gel mca
- Betalemon cream
- Skin balance cream wrinkle remover
SKIN-LIGHTENING LOTIONS, CREAMS AND GELS CONTAINING HYDROQUINONE
Lotions
- Jaribu skin lightening lotion
- A3 lemon skin lightening lotion Princess lotion
- Amira skin lightening lotion
- Kiss lotion
- Peau Claire beauty body lotion
- A3 clear touch complexion lotion
- Rico skin lightening lotion
- Clear touch lotion
- Fair white body clearing milk
- Sivoclair lightening body lotion
- Extra clair lightening body lotion
- Precieux treatment beauty lotion
- Clear essence skin beautifying milk
Gels
- Ultra clear
- Topiclear
- Body clear
Creams
- Jaribu cream
- Madonna medicated cream
- Tura skin toning cream
- Kiss -medicated beauty cream
- Zarina medicated skin lightener cream
- Lolane cream, nadinola cream
- Mic skin lightener cream
- Clere lemon cream
- Butone cream
- Miki beauty cream
- Island beauty skin fade cream
- Ikb medicated cream
- Care plus fairness cream
- A3 skin lightening cream, ambi american formula
- Ambi extra complexion cream for men
- A3 tripple action cream pearl light
- Fairlady skin lightening cream
- Clear touch cream
- Rico skin tone crème
- Princess medicated beauty cream
- Immediat claire lighten
- Mekako cream
- Yesako medicated beauty cream
- Mrembo medicated beauty cream
- Uno21 cream
- Envi skin toner, viva super lemon
- Glotone complexion cream
- Tonight night beauty cream
- Clere extra cream
- Malaika medicated beauty cream
- Crusader skin toning cream
- Malibu medicated cream
- Opiclear cream, carekako medicated cream
- Dream successful
- Cleartone skin toning cream
- Cleartone extra skin toning cream
- Elegance skin lightening cream
- Fade out cream
- Crusader ultra-brand cream
- Baraka skin lightening cream
- Amira cream
- Rico complexion cream
- Shirley cream
- Princess patra luxury complexion cream
- Ambi special complexion cream
- Nindola cream, claire creme
- Fulani creme eclaircissante
- Binti jambo cream
- Dear heart with hydroquinone cream
- Nish medicated cream
- Palmer’s skin success fade cream
- Body clear cream
- Symba creme skin lite ‘n’ smooth
- Clear essence medicated fade cream
- O’nyia skin crème
- Mr. Clere cream
- Top lemon plus cream
- Ultime skin lightening cream
- Peau claire crème eclaircissante
As the state corporation intensifies crackdown against the aforementioned products, the public has been urged to report any banned item in the market for action.
“We encourage the public to be vigilant and inform KEBS upon encountering any products suspected to be substandard,” KEBS noted.