Two in five handwash products may cause allergies or skin problems, tests by Hong Kong consumer watchdog find
- Consumer Council tests 35 handwash products and finds 13 contain preservatives that can induce an allergy
- Watchdog says labelling information of some products needs to be improved
Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog has found that 13 handwash products contain preservatives that may lead to allergic reactions such as itching or skin conditions like dermatitis.
Some products that claimed to “kill” or “destroy” bacteria or germs also failed to perform as promised.
“You have to really look at the label to see what kind of chemicals the products contain,” Professor Nora Tam Fung-yee, chairwoman of the Consumer Council’s research and testing committee, said on Monday.
The council tested 35 handwash products and found 13, or nearly 40 per cent, contained preservatives that could induce an allergy. They were found with either methylisothiazolinone (MIT) or methylchloroisothiazolinone (CMIT), or a mixture of both.
The level of MIT in two antibacterial handwashes from Walch exceeded the limit set by the European Union, while the mix of MIT and CMIT in an antibacterial pine-scented Select product exceeded both mainland China and EU requirements.