On September 8th, 2022, the online celebrity medical mask Fuerjia, which rose in recent years, made its debut on the Growth Enterprise Market of Shenzhen Stock Exchange, and will soon become another medical beauty concept stock in A shares. However, the IPO of New Economy noticed that the medical masks vigorously promoted by Fuerjia in hospitals and medical institutions contained preservatives with cancer risk, and its whitening masks were falsely publicized in the name of National Medical Products Administration.
Medical facial mask contains high-risk preservatives.
A consumer told the IPO of New Economy that she was recommended to buy Furjia medical repair patch after surgery in a medical and beauty institution. Unexpectedly, after using it, her face became swollen, red pimples and her eyes ached. She suspected that there were allergic substances in the ingredients of the mask, so she looked up the ingredient list and found that there were only three chemical ingredients besides sodium hyaluronate and water:Sodium ethyl paraben, sodium propyl paraben, carbomer 940.
After looking it up, she found that,Sodium ethyl p-hydroxybenzoate and sodium propyl p-hydroxybenzoate are preservatives, while carbomer 940 is a thickener.She suspected that preservatives caused skin allergic reactions.
So, what preservatives did Fuerjia add to this medical mask under the banner of postoperative repair and skin allergy prevention?
National Medical Products Administration official website found that Fuerjia Medical Sodium Hyaluronate Repair Patch applied for registration as the second class medical device in April 2021. The registrant is Harbin Beixing Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and the approver is Heilongjiang Drug Administration. The main components of the product are sodium hyaluronate, water for injection, sodium ethyl p-hydroxybenzoate, sodium propyl p-hydroxybenzoate, carbomer 940 and nonwovens. Its application scope is "used for mild and moderate acne, promoting wound healing and skin repair; It has an auxiliary therapeutic effect on early pigmentation and scar formation after acne healing, skin allergy and laser photon treatment. "
Let’s take a look at its components one by one.
Needless to say, sodium hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid. There is nothing to say about water for injection and nonwovens, which are normal medical accessories. Carbomer 940 is a thickener, which is often used in cosmetics.
According to public information, ethyl p-hydroxybenzoate and propyl p-hydroxybenzoate are efficient preservatives, and the combination of them can improve the anticorrosion ability and solubility. In order to extend the shelf life of cosmetics, different doses of preservatives are added, which is a routine operation. For example, the shelf life of facial masks is generally 2-3 years, and it is impossible to keep them for such a long time without adding preservatives.
However, it is worth noting that,The two preservatives used in Fuerjia medical sodium hyaluronate repair patch belong to nipagin ester preservatives, including methyl paraben, ethyl paraben, propyl paraben, butyl paraben and so on..
In recent years, there is a great controversy around nipagin ester preservatives. Previous studies have said thatExcessive use of parabens in cosmetics can cause contact dermatitis.A study by British medical staff shows that,The accumulation of nipagin ester in human body will increase the risk of breast cancer and uterine cancer in women.
Although the scientific community is rightThe carcinogenicity of nipagin ester is controversial, but considering its potential toxicity, the EUIn 2014, the amount of propyl paraben and butyl paraben was restricted, from the previously allowed amount of 0.4% for single use and 0.8% for mixed use to 0.14% for single use or joint use. In addition, these two preservatives are prohibited from being added to the diaper area of children under 3 years old.
At present, the general consensus in the industry is that,Methyl hydroxybenzoate and ethyl hydroxybenzoate are relatively safe at the legally limited concentration, but propyl 4-hydroxybenzoate and butyl hydroxybenzoate should be treated with caution.
The Fuerjia medical sodium hyaluronate repair patch does not disclose the specific dosage of its nipagin ester in the ingredient list.However, compared with ethylparaben, propyl 4-hydroxybenzoate has a higher risk, so it seems inappropriate to use it after medical and aesthetic surgery.
As far as the specific risks are concerned, a third-party cosmetics evaluation website made a simple comparison. The risk level of sodium hyaluronate and water used in Fuerjia medical repair patch is 1, which means it is very safe; However, the risk in propyl 4-hydroxybenzoate is as high as 7, which means that the risk is high.
Therefore, in Tik Tok and Xiaohongshu, some merchants with goods advertised that the production standard of mechanical brand medical beauty mask was higher and less preservatives were added, which could not stand scrutiny. At the very least, this medical repair patch of Volga uses a high-risk preservative and does not choose a safer substitute.
This not only reminds people of the carcinogen incident of Haitian soy sauce additives, which involves the carcinogen sodium benzoate. Like propyl paraben, sodium benzoate is a preservative, and sodium benzoate can react with vitamin C to generate carcinogenic benzene. For this reason, Japan and other countries have stopped producing sodium benzoate and restricted its use.
Invisible preservative hiding behind the scenes
Compared with the above preservatives, there is also a kind of "invisible" preservatives in cosmetics. These preservatives are no longer on the public list of preservatives, but they can still play an antiseptic role. Furga’s cosmetic mask has a similar operation. For example, in the Volga Nicotinamide Whitening and Spotting Repair Mask, the new economic IPO found that,Volga used the classic combination of "p-hydroxyacetophenone" and "1,2 hexanediol".
According to public information,1,2- Hexanediol is a polyol.At present, it is not listed as a preservative, but defined as a humectant and a penetration aid. Usually, the addition of about 5% will have a clear antiseptic effect.
P-hydroxyacetophenone is a natural antioxidant component in plants, and it is a new preservative substitute product. It can be compounded with hexanediol and propylene glycol to replace traditional preservatives.
In the product formula submitted by Volga to the State Food and Drug Administration,P-hydroxyacetophenone and 1,2-hexanediol are widely used, and the purpose of use is marked as "moisturizing", "freckle" and "conditioner". But in fact, they have only one purpose: anti-corrosion.
Why can’t we just label it "preservative"?
This is because "p-hydroxyacetophenone" and "1,2 hexanediol" are on the list of 51 preservatives stipulated by the state. However, when declaring the purpose of use, these two materials can’t pass if they are preservatives, but they can be called moisturizers/skin conditioners.
The new economy IPO noticed that in addition to preservatives, there is another very interesting ingredient in the Vulgar whitening mask:Hydroxyethyl piperazine ethanesulfonic acid.
Hydroxyethyl piperazine ethanesulfonic acid is often used as a buffer in the laboratory. It has the effect of exfoliating keratin when used in cosmetics, which can help remove aged keratin on the skin surface and increase the absorption of active ingredients. However, it should be noted that,When using hydroxyethyl piperazine ethanesulfonic acid, it is necessary to avoid light, otherwise it will produce hydrogen peroxide (that is, hydrogen peroxide). Therefore, the mask added with this material is suitable for use at night.
Interestingly, Fuerjia Whitening Mask was actually played in the publicity copy of an e-commerce channel."Full scene whitening", "protection before sun exposure" and "repair after sun exposure"The words, this is to let female consumers produce toxins on their faces and destroy themselves?
Stealing the name of National Medical Products Administration for false propaganda.
In addition to his poor understanding of product safety and his mistakes in using scenes for publicity, Fuerjia was also suspected of embezzling National Medical Products Administration’s name for false publicity.
On the page of JD.COM Volga Nicotinamide Whitening and Spotting Repair Mask,Its products call themselves "whitening special certificate holder", and publicly declare that the products have "freckle whitening special certificate".The picture below shows the registration certificate of Volga Nicotinamide Whitening and Spotting Repair Mask, stamped by National Medical Products Administration.
This is equivalent to telling consumers that this whitening and freckle-removing mask holds the "freckle-removing and whitening certification certificate" issued by National Medical Products Administration. What is the truth? Will National Medical Products Administration really endorse the efficacy of a mask?
In National Medical Products Administration official website, Furjia Nicotinamide Whitening and Spotting Repair Mask was registered and approved as a domestic cosmetic in October 2020. However, in the remarks, National Medical Products Administration solemnly declared that,"National Medical Products Administration has not organized an audit of the alleged efficacy of this product, and this approval document is not regarded as an approval of the alleged efficacy of the product."
It can be seen that National Medical Products Administration only provides a product registration certificate, not a product certification certificate. Fuerjia used tiger skin as a banner, distorted the original intention of National Medical Products Administration’s registration certificate, and made false endorsements for its products.
This article first appeared on WeChat WeChat official account: New Economy IPO. The content of the article belongs to the author’s personal opinion and does not represent Hexun.com’s position. Investors should operate accordingly, at their own risk.