BHOPAL: The office of the Controller, Food and Drug Administration, Madhya Pradesh, has issued a public health alert, urging residents to stop using and buying two Pakistan-made skin-lightening creams, Gori Beauty Cream and Chandni Whitening Cream. The notice says the products contain heavy metals (notably mercury) beyond permitted limits.
The alert says neither cream holds an import registration or licence from the competent authority, so both are being sold in India without authorisation. The regulator asked consumers who already own the creams, or products with similar names, to stop applying them immediately.
According to the public notice dated November 14, the concern was raised with the state by the Drugs Controller General of India and the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, which flagged the products on September 8. Prolonged exposure to mercury, it said, can harm the kidneys and the nervous system, in addition to the skin.
Mercury-based lightening creams have drawn warnings before. Health authorities in several countries have flagged similar products over the years because the metal suppresses skin pigmentation and builds up in the body with repeated use.
Enforcement began a day before the advisory. On Friday, drug officials searched two premises in Indore. At The Beauty Bar in Ranipura, they seized a few packets. At Padmashree Agency in Chhawani, they recovered about 300 packets of Gori Beauty Cream worth roughly Rs 1.5 lakh. All the packs reportedly carried “Made in Pakistan” labels.
The state has declared the sale of both creams unauthorised. The department has not said whether criminal proceedings have been started against the sellers or how the stock reached the Indore market.
The department asked the public to report any sale of the creams to its dedicated email address, cfdamp@rediffmail.com, or to the drug inspector of their district.
Before buying any cosmetic, shoppers should check the manufacturing licence number, the manufacturer’s name and full address, the batch number, the manufacturing date and the expiry date.
Imported cosmetics should also show an import registration or licence number, along with the foreign manufacturer’s name and address.