Danish EPA | Harmful cosmetic products have been seized

Every year, many illegal cosmetic products are seized. Most often, the products contain substances that are harmful to health. This is also the case for the two most recent seizures.

These are specifically 1500 bottles of hair spray, which were seized in early September, after the Danish Environmental Protection Agency's Chemicals Inspectorate found two illegal substances in the product. One substance is highly allergenic and the other has endocrine disrupting properties.

These are MI (Methylisothiazolinone), which is a preservative, which is a strong allergen, and D4 (octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane), which is an emollient silicone substance, which is a CMR substance (carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction) with endocrine disrupting properties. CMR substances are banned in cosmetic products. 
The product thus does not comply with current cosmetic regulations and is therefore sent for destruction, as it can not be legalized.

The other seized product is a skin whitening cream. Exactly, 358 buckets of skin whitening cream have been seized after finding a banned ingredient (hydroquinone). The illegal substance is used to whiten dark skin pigmentation. In legal skin whitening products, it is replaced by various fruit acids. The substance is carcinogenic and therefore banned in the EU. In late August, the seizure is notified to the person who brought the creams to the country. The product is sent for destruction as the product cannot be legalized.