The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned the public against the purchase and use of unauthorized skincare cosmetics from China and Thailand that are being sold online.
Through a series of public health warnings posted on their website, the FDA tagged seven cosmetics as “unauthorized” for not undergoing the mandatory notification process prior to placing them in the market.
Under FDA regulations, only duly notified products conforming to the provisions of the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive, including its annexes and appendices, shall be placed in the market.
“We thank the FDA for duly alerting the public about the non-compliance of the flagged products with the notification requirements,” said Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition. “To avoid potential risks from using such products, we urge consumers to heed the advice of the FDA and seek authorized products that have been properly assessed for their quality and safety.”
The seven items were among the assorted products bought by the EcoWaste Coalition from online sellers as part of the group’s investigative work targeting products with banned substances like mercury.
While negative for mercury, a highly toxic chemical forbidden in cosmetic formulations, the said products may contain other contaminants that can put user’s health at risk.
Among the products reported by the group to the FDA and subsequently banned through Advisories No. 2025-0377, 0374, 037, 0372, 0371, 0370, and 0125 were Dragon Blood Cream, Sweetrip Whitening Freckle Removal Cream, Lifusha Green Tea Cooling Cleansing Mud Mask, Jaysuing Wild Yam Cream; Lifusha Nicotinamide Moisturizer, Yunji Plain Face Cream, and Perfect Skin Lady Melasma Breakdown Cream, respectively.
According to the EcoWaste Coalition, online consumers are enticed into buying the above unauthorized cosmetics that claim to make the skin healthy and radiant, get rid of age spots, blemishes, dark skin discoloration, freckles, and wrinkles, and solve other dermal problems.
Some of the products are offered at very low prices like the China-made Sweetrip Whitening Freckle Removal Cream, which is sold for only P16 per unit.
The FDA has warned that “the use of violative products may pose health risks to consumers” as their compliance to good manufacturing practices have not been verified.
To avoid such risks, the EcoWaste Coalition urged consumers to refrain from buying and using cosmetics and other health products without the necessary certificates of notification or registration issued by the FDA.
As advised by the FDA, consumers are encouraged to check if the cosmetic is properly notified by using the FDA Verification Portal at https://verification.fda.gov.ph.
“Potential hazards (from using an unauthorized product) may come from ingredients that are not allowed to be part of a cosmetic product or from the contamination of heavy metals,” the FDA pointed out.
“The use of substandard and possibly adulterated cosmetic products may result in adverse reactions, including, but not limited to, skin irritation, itchiness, anaphylactic shock and organ failure,” the FDA added.
