AS FILIPINOS are very much into whitening products and a lot are emerging in the market, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned anew consumers and healthcare professionals against the purchase and use of Aqua Skin Whitening Lyophilized powder.
The product has the complete name of Aqua Skin EGF Whitening Pro Q10 Skinnice lab Suisse Natural Collagen Extract with Pro-Coenzyme Q10 Lyophilized powder. It is widely available for sale online.
The powder is noted to be for "skin whitening and anti-aging therapy." Buyers are instructed to dissolve a single five milliliter lyophilized powder in water which will be used for intravenous injection to the client. This is advised to be done twice a week.
However, in a statement released by FDA, the Aqua Skin Whitening has not gone through the proper registration process therefore had not been issued the Certificate of Registration, which would help assure that the product is safe and has good quality.
"The agency cannot guarantee its quality and safety. The consumption of such product may pose potential danger or injury if administered," FDA said in a statement.
The product is imported from Switzerland and was manufactured by Skinnice Laboratories Expanscience Suisse in Geneva.
Just January of this year, FDA's warning against the purchase and use of whitening beauty products Goree Day and Night Whitening Cream Oil-Free, Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene with SPF 30 Avocado and Aloevera, and Renow-D Facial Cream Formula-One because of their high-level mercury content had been trending on social media, although the warning had been released by FDA in October 2017.
The mercury salts present in these whitening products causes a special formation of skin melanin which results to fairer skin however, the high mercury content may lead to kidney damage, skin rashes, skin discoloration, and scarring among others.