A cosmetics company on Friday announced a recall of three batches of skin cream containing a banned estrogenic substance, a day after a doctor said that several children who used a skin cream showed signs of early puberty.
We Charming Enterprise Co (誼辰佳國際實業) said in a statement on Facebook that it is recalling three batches of its Allergic Skin Cream (菁萃深效修護霜), because it contains an ingredient that is not permitted for use in cosmetics.
The three batches are No. 0538, which expires on Dec. 9, 2024; No. 1532, which expires on March 17, 2025; and No. 1533, which expires on May 3, 2025.
The company said that it received a report late last month from a person who organized a group purchase of the product saying that her daughter and her classmates were showing signs of early puberty after using the cream in July and August.
We Charming said it sent samples from seven batches in its stock and another from a batch being filled at a factory to SGS Taiwan for laboratory testing.
The results showed that three batches contained estrogen, it said, adding that it was contacting customers and had issued a recall.
The Food and Drug Administration yesterday confirmed that it received reports about the product, and that the Taoyuan Department of Public Health is investigating the case.
As certain components of estrogen are banned for use in cosmetic products, the company could face a fine of between NT$20,000 and NT$5 million (US$622 and US$155,531) for breaching the Cosmetic Hygiene and Safety Act (化妝品衛生安全管理法), it said.
On Thursday afternoon, Huang Shih-kang (黃世綱), who specializes in pediatric endocrinology, wrote on Facebook that some doctors had reported that several young children, aged two or three, were showing signs of early breast development.
In a more serious case of precocious puberty, a three-year-old child was reported to have started menstruating, he wrote.
Huang said the cases were found to have used the same body cream, but as he did not have direct evidence of a causal relationship between the cream and the incidents of precocious puberty, he could not reveal the brand and product name.
He wrote that it was a care product for adult women being misused on children with eczema.
He advised parents not to expose children to cosmetic products for women that claim to “postpone aging” or improve skin condition.
Additional reporting by CNA
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
RSS