4.36 Million 'Kanebo' Brand Products Recalled Because Of Side-Effects. What Happened?
More than 2,000 Japanese had complained about skin discolouring after using Kanebo-brand skin whitener.
By cermindinding — 25 Jul 2013, 05:28 PM — Updated almost 11 years ago
PHOTO: Image supplied by Kanebo shows examples of the white blotches that have appeared on victims' skin
Image supplied by Kanebo shows examples of the white blotches that have appeared on victims' skin.
Image via turner.comSpotty reaction prompts recall of popular Japanese Kanebo-brand skin whitener
When Yuki Izumoto developed ugly white patches on her neck, hands and face nearly a year ago, her dermatologist had no answers for her.
ksdk.comThe 44-year-old Japanese housewife was embarrassed to show people her dotted hands, and the spots weren't going away.
Her doctor told her "it was a kind of disease, but the cause is unknown," she says.
Now it seems likely that she and thousands of others may have developed white blotches on their skin as a result of a popular whitening product from Japanese cosmetics brand Kanebo. Izumoto says she used the product for several years.
ksdk.comKanebo has recalled a total of 4.36 million products from retailers in Japan plus 450,000 items that had already been sold to consumers.
google.comReports of such symptoms from thousands of customers have led Kanebo to initiate a voluntary recall of all of its products that contain the "quasi-drug ingredient" known as Rhododenol.
cnn.comThe firm has so far received 2,250 complaints from domestic consumers about "depigmentation" on their faces after using creams such as the "Blanchir Superior" brand, a company spokesman said.
google.comPHOTO: Kanebo president Masumi Natsusaka (C) and other executives bow to apologise at a press conference in Tokyo
Kanebo president Masumi Natsusaka (C) and other executives bow to apologise at a press conference in Tokyo
Image via google.comThe company has agreed to pay the medical costs of affected consumers
The company has agreed to pay the medical costs of affected consumers, the spokesman said, adding that it has not been sued over the case.
The spokesman said it had also received complaints from other countries but "we are still collecting details".
Kanebo criticized for delay in recalling skin-whitener, more than 6,800 people have reported some depigmentation
The Japanese government lambasted Kanebo Cosmetics Inc. for a delay in notifying the public that its skin-whitening products had caused severe depigmentation, a problem affecting thousands of customers.
The recall affects Japan, Britain and 10 Asian territories: Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Vietnam.
Taiwan is the largest overseas market for the products, a Kanebo spokesman said.
The government is warning consumers to stay away from products with 4HPB, or Rhododenol, a Kanebo-developed synthetic version of a compound found in the bark of white birch trees.
