[2022 National Audit] THB Dye Shampoo at the Audit Hearing... Modamoda "Compensation if Side Effects Occur"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] On the 7th, during the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee's audit of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), a dispute arose between the MFDS and shampoo manufacturer Modamoda over the harmfulness of '1,2,4-Trihydroxybenzene' (THB), an ingredient used in hair dye shampoos.

The MFDS stated that it had assessed and determined the potential genetic toxicity of the ingredient, but Bae Hyung-jin, CEO of Modamoda, who appeared as a reference witness that day, claimed there was no problem and promised compensation if any adverse effects from the product emerged.

Oh Yu-kyung, head of the MFDS, responded to a question from Kim Won-i, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, asking, "Are you confident that the MFDS's harmfulness evaluation results of the THB ingredient are accurate?" She explained, "As a regulatory agency, the MFDS conducts risk assessments based on scientific evidence," and added, "Since it cannot be said that the THB ingredient has no genetic toxicity, it was added to the list of prohibited substances."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

CEO Bae countered, saying, "It is not harmful." He argued, "THB is not a confirmed genetic toxic substance," and "According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) under the World Health Organization (WHO), it is not registered as genetically toxic, and Modamoda's products have been confirmed by MFDS-certified institutions to have no genetic toxicity."

He continued, "There have been no harmful results from any institution worldwide under human exposure scenarios for THB," and "There are only results at the bacterial stage experiments, but our products mix polymer polyphenols with the THB ingredient to create a safe structure."

When Democratic Party member Shin Hyun-young asked, "Will you compensate if human harm is confirmed?" he replied, "Since there is no genetic toxicity, it is difficult to talk about compensation," but added, "If any adverse effect cases arise from our shampoo, we will fully compensate."

The reactions from both ruling and opposition parties were also divided. Assemblyman Kim said, "For the life and safety of the people, the MFDS's opinion should have been accepted conservatively." On the other hand, Choi Young-hee of the People Power Party said, "Banning new technologies developed by companies is excessive regulation by the MFDS."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.