A sample of the skin-lightening cream Fair & Lovely has been found to be "substandard" by Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration because of an excess count of microbes, said a report.
The brand owned by FMCG giant Hindustan Unilever Ltd. is a household name in India, due mainly to the cream's ultra-low price tag and the widely accepted preference for fair skin in the country.
Maharashtra's FDA said test results showed the sample had a total microbial count of 3,37,532.10 'colony forming units' per gram and yeast and mould count of 2,94,196.3 CFU per gram, the Indian Express reported on Sunday.
The limit allowed for the two measures is 1,000 CFU per gram and 100 CFU per gram, respectively.
FDA commissioner Harshdeep Kamble told the newspaper that the tested sample, which was picked up from a store in Mumbai's Bhoiwada lane, will be compared with a controlled sample kept by the company. The FDA had asked the company for a controlled sample, the newspaper quoted him saying.
If the sample is originally from Fair & Lovely, the authority would take action against the company, he said. Personal care products like Fair & Lovely contribute to about one-third of Hindustan Unilever's sales.
The company, however, told the newspaper it has not received any request for a sample from the FDA.