FDA warns of cosmetics contaminants in Bhopal, India

Cosmetics contaminants are said to be growing fast in the personal care segment in the Indian city of Bhopal as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports state that one third of the samples of creams and lotions that were subjected to lab tests failed.

Personal care products such as lotions, creams, powders, soaps, lipsticks, among others, are said to be harmful to consumers as they could cause skin infections and other allergies, reported timesofindia.com.

FDA, which closely monitors cosmetics selling, said the percentage of cosmetic products failing to meet safety standards has doubled from 10% in 2011.

The agency said the market, sensing opportunities to make fast money, is pushing these adulterated cosmetics into the market where there is a high demand.

FDA analyst J K Rajvaidya said that the laboratory tests show that samples containing harmful contaminants could lead to various ailments including fading of skin, hair loss, spots on skin and long-term chronic skin disorders like eczema.

The website said that it was therefore the legal responsibility of the companies and individuals marketing cosmetics for the safety of their products as the norms state that the cosmetics must be safe for consumers when used as intended.

According to the website, limit set by the bureau of Indian standards (BIS) for lipsticks is 20ppm; however, some of the samples are over the permissible limits.