The Consumer Council on Tuesday urged people to select beauty products carefully after it found inconsistencies in some products boasting vitamin C content. The watchdog said it tested 17 serums and 10 of them had a lower concentration of vitamin C than the manufacturer claimed. While one actually had more vitamin C than advertised, another one had none whatsoever. The council’s chief executive, Gilly Wong, said they have referred their findings to the authorities. “We have already shared this report to the Customs and Excise Department. So if there is any alleged infringement of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, they would take an independent enforcement action on that,” she said. The watchdog urged manufacturers to improve their labelling practices, noting that five of the products tested failed to list the vitamin C concentration. In addition, the label for one serum didn't mention an expiry date, while six others didn't have a list of ingredients in either English or Chinese. The council also discovered that seven of the serums contained fragrance allergens with restricted use in the EU, saying eczema sufferers or individuals with allergies could develop contact dermatitis or rashes from overexposure to the products.
