Banned skin-whitener seized from two shops

Manekseka Sangkum: This is just one area of national life that can definitely be done something positive about with responsible educational leadership and mass media involvement. At any rate, it will be a welcome alternative to the emphasis and concern many attach to what they view as prevailing cultural tyrannies and repressions suffered by women in general who are otherwise susceptible to globalised trends emanating from the western world and its ubiquitous popular influences, from beauty cosmetics and fashion to how to make oneself look "sexy", which in themselves are nothing if not cultural conformities and thus repressions by other persuasions. Culturally and health wise, there are lines that should not be crossed, and educating people at an early age to avoid the pitfalls and risks that so many young adults are often prone to taking in pandering to these kinds of trends and expectations, from buying dodgy and highly dangerous cosmetic products to risking their lives working as "maids" abroad, will contribute towards creating a much more responsible consumer society and a better informed body of citizens. In any case, teach people to be skeptical in putting blind faith and trust in their own public authorities and government-aligned agencies in looking out for their best interests and protections...

Economic police officials raid a store on Tuesday in Phnom Penh to confiscate an illegal skin-whitening beauty product called Tabita. Facebook

Thu, 15 June 2017

Kong Meta

p

Two beauty shops in Phnom Penh were on Tuesday raided by anti-economic crime police for selling a skin-whitening product known as “Tabita” that contains high amounts of mercury and the banned carcinogenic bleach hydroquinone, and five more shops will be raided in the coming days, officials said yesterday.

Tabita was banned by the Health Ministry in 2015 after Singapore sent a notice that it contained harmful chemicals including hydroquinone, as well as mercury and tretinoin, according to a May 19 letter from ministry Secretary of State Choun Yinsim to lawyers for Sokun Vattanak Trading Co, which owns the shops.

An official notes down details of the seized products during a cosmetics counterfeit bust on Tuesday in Phnom Penh. Facebook

The two beauty shops were properly licensed to operate by the Ministry of Commerce but were raided for selling the banned products, which were confiscated, and court proceedings could now follow, said Long Sreng, the deputy director of the Interior Ministry’s Anti-Economic Crimes Police Department.

“The ingredients of products were not accepted by the Ministry of Health,” Sreng said, explaining that the confiscated skin-whitening products had been sent to the Health Ministry.

“We will send the case to court in the next three days, and we also will confiscate from five [other] shops who have sold this brands.”