"Unaware They Wiped Their Face with Mold and Thought It Was Clean..." Blind Spot in Cotton Pad Safety Management

A Significant Number of Products Without Manufacturing Date Labels
"Need to Establish Safety Management Standards"

Bacteria and fungi (mold) have been detected in cotton pad products distributed and sold on the market. Some products did not indicate the manufacturing date, raising concerns about the need for safety management.

The Korea Consumer Agency announced on the 21st that it confirmed these findings after investigating the safety and labeling status of 45 cotton pad products distributed and sold on the market.

The number of products in which bacteria and fungi were detected was 16. In these products, bacteria ranged from 50 to 2200 CFU/g, and fungi ranged from 50 to 300 CFU/g. However, heavy metals (lead and cadmium) were not detected in any of the products.

Regarding these investigation results, the Consumer Agency pointed out that under the current Hygiene Products Control Act, there are no relevant standards or responsible authorities for bacteria and fungi in cosmetics. The Korea Consumer Agency also added that it recommended suspension of sales and strengthening of hygiene management to the manufacturers and sellers of products where bacteria or fungi were detected.

There were also 18 products that did not indicate the manufacturing date or only displayed the manufacturing number. Additionally, 13 products had labels such as "wrinkle improvement," "keratin care effect," and "hypoallergenic" without objective evidence, indicating a need for improvement, according to the Consumer Agency.

The Consumer Agency plans to request consultations among related ministries to establish safety management measures for cotton pads, which currently lack safety standards, and to designate the responsible authority. A Consumer Agency official urged, "When using cotton pads, store them in a place where moisture does not accumulate, and be cautious of labels without objective evidence such as wrinkle improvement when purchasing products."

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