SK-II - is it safe?

September 25, 2006 12:15 PM

I just recently purchased some SK-II cosmetics for my mom for her birthday but recent stories in Chinese newspapers indicate that the products may contain traces of chromium and neodymium which are known to cause cancer. Is this just fear-mongering by a competitor brand with backing by the Chinese government or should I be bringing the product back to where I bought it and asking for a refund?
posted by PWA_BadBoy to clothing, beauty, & fashion (3 answers total)

The testing done in Singapore found acceptable levels of chromium and neodymium in six SK-II products.
In other news, tests was also done on Clinique, Dior, Estee Lauder, and Lancome products by some Hong Kong agency. Six different foundations from these brands were also found to contain trace elements of chromium and neodymium.
There's definitely a climate of fear among Chinese consumers.
posted by of strange foe at 1:02 PM on September 25, 2006

You should bring the product back and demand a refund because SK-II is basically Olay with better packaging, marketing and a few more expensive ingredients. Both are Proctor and Gamble products. Back in the late 90s they simply took the Olay product, slapped some new packaging on it, added a few "special" ingredients with scientific sounding crap, did some marketing, and started selling it in Japan. It was so successful they decided to start selling it here, but it's still, basically, Oil of Olay. So you're buying a skin product from a company that manufactures Tide, Febreze and Swiffer, but whose *real* specialty is marketing.
posted by ereshkigal45 at 1:41 PM on September 25, 2006

From this page (excerpt, early morning translation by me):

Chromium and neodymium have not been used as the raw materials in all of the SK-II products. Trace elements of these ingredients exist naturally in the general environment and in products used daily such as food, water, and cosmetics. The amount of chromium pointed out by the relevant authorities is 1/100 of the maximum amount that WHO considers to be safe when consumed in daily diets, and that of neodymium is 1/1000 of that level. The amount is within the boundaries generally considered to be safe in Japan, Europe and other countries.

At least this is what the company says. Further down below, they also say that they'll be continuing to sell the product in Japan and other Asian countries besides mainland China.
posted by misozaki at 2:25 PM on September 25, 2006 [1 favorite]