The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine
(GAQSIQ) and the Ministry of Health claimed on Monday that SK-II skincare
cosmetics do little harm to customers' physical health, reports The Beijing
Times.
Proctor & Gamble (P&G)China
announced Monday its SK-II skincare cosmetics will return to shelves soon
in China. According to a report of China Central Television (CCTV), the
General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine
and China's Ministry of Health made a joint announcement that traces of
the metallic chemicals chromium and neodymium, which are inevitably
brought from the raw material, can produce little harm to physical health,
if being used properly.[newsphoto]
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The
authorities said the banned substances neodymium and chromium found in the
cosmetics comes from the raw materials themselves.
"We will carry on with our sales of SK-II products in China, but the first
task facing us is to clarify the situation towards the customers," a Procter
& Gamble (P&G) representative announced Monday.
The official announcement released jointly by the GAQSIQ and the Ministry of
Health indicates the two heavy metals are likely to come from the raw materials
due to flaws in the manufacturing process. P&G affirmed it does not add
these elements as ingredients deliberately in any of their products.
There isn't a detailed international standard for cosmetic quality and
safety, and it hasn't been proven that using SK-II products containing neodymium
and chromium cause skin allergies or other illnesses.
"We will continue with our high-quality service for Chinese customers and
keep trace levels of the metals in SK-II products," a P&G representative
said.
Liu Ling, P&G Public Relations manager told the Beijing Times that even
she only found out about the new statement from CCTV news yesterday evening.
"P&G has now begun to discuss details of resuming sales of SK-II products,
and is going to issue a formal announcement on October 24, 2006", Liu said.
As for exactly when the closed counters would once again be open for
business, Liu said "the more quickly, the better" but didn't reveal a definite
date.
P&G's losses have yet to be calculated and P&G has been dealing with
the refunds based on its previous refund policy, according to Liu.
"I found out about it on the TV news," Weng Zhigang, general manager of
Shanghai P&G Dongfang Ltd, P&G's biggest retailer on the mainland. "I
haven't been told to re-open the SK-II counters, and the products pulled off the
shelf earlier this month are in the depository."
An unnamed official from the administration said China's Regulations on
Hygienic Standards for Cosmetics forbids cosmetics containing chromium and
neodymium. However, the banned substances may exist in tiny amounts in finished
products as the raw materials may contain minute amounts of the banned
substances.
SK-II thus claimed the two heavy metals were not deliberately added but
occurred naturally, and was able to renew sales in China.
The official also suggested it is necessary to set limits on banned
substances in cosmetic products.
Late this September, Procter & Gamble Co. suspended sales of its SK-II
products in China after authorities discovered chromium and neodymium, both
banned substances, in its popular skin care products, prompting outbursts from
consumers seeking refunds.
