DR MIKE’S TIP OF THE WEEK

SKIN WHITENING TIME BOMB: More and more prevalent these days in our part of the world are skin whitening products. Also becoming more common are product recalls for these types of products, the most recent being by Japan's second-biggest cosmetics company, Kanebo Cosmetics Inc., with concerns of products containing its Rhododenol brightening ingredient. The recall involves 54 types of products including face lotions and creams.

The Ministry of Health in Malaysia has recently recalled three products sold in Malaysia (two of the products produced my Malaysian companies, and the other by a Taiwanese company) that have been tested and found to contain tretinoin, azelaic acid, and mercury. Apparently some companies are adulterating cosmetics products with mercury to promote skin lightening.

As a scientist from the old school (I’m now in my 60’s), what worries me from a scientific standpoint is the trend these days for the fairly small numbers used in consumer trials and the short time frames for testing of new substances before they are approved for use in cosmetics. It may be many years before harmful affects are noticed after continual use of new chemicals and we find that chemicals previously thought to be safe then need to be withdrawn from the marketplace.

As humans we can be complex….in the Northern summer millions are sunbathing to tan their skin, and in the South millions are spent on skin whitening. Isn’t it about time that we are all comfortable and happy with the skin color we were born with?

Our bottom line at Indochine Natural    is that we do not use any synthetic chemicals in our products. We have been approached to include skin whitening products into OEM products, but have flatly refused.