Dangerous cosmetics seized in Malaysia

Dangerous cosmetics seized in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysian health officials have raided beauty salons and seized dangerous skin-whitening cosmetics after complaints from users, a report said on Wednesday.

The Sun newspaper said officers raided seven salons on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur on Monday after complaints from women of peeling or irritated skin.

Some products contain hydroquinone, whose use in cosmetics has been banned in Europe, Selangor state health official Yeap Ling Soon was quoted as saying.

He said some users of the expensive products, which can cost up to 400 ringgit (US$105) each, "claimed that their skin became reddish and dark as if they were burned".

Yeap said a large quantity of hydroquinone in the body could lead to muscular convulsions and even a coma. Skin-whitening could also increase the risk of skin cancer in a tropical country.