Singapore warns of arsenic-laced eczema cream sold in Malaysia with more than 430 times allowed limit

Euzema Confidence Revival Cream, was among four products found to contain potent or banned ingredients, according to Singapore ’s Health Sciences Authority

Arsenic, a toxic heavy metal, can cause skin irritations, contact dermatitis with symptoms such as skin rashes and blisters, or rashes resulting in skin peeling

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Authorities in Singapore are warning consumers about eczema cream laced with arsenic 430 times allowable limits. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 4:30pm, 21 Nov 2023Updated: 4:40pm, 21 Nov 2023

An eczema cream sold on a retail website based in Malaysia and on the Carousell app was found to have contained more than 430 times the allowed limits of arsenic, with health authorities warning users to see a doctor “as soon as possible”.

The cream, Euzema Confidence Revival Cream, was among four products that were found to contain potent or banned ingredients, Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said on Tuesday.

After using the cream for eczema for a year, a man in his 30s developed a skin reaction called purpura, where purplish red spots appear due to small bleeds under the skin.

His doctor suspected that the adverse skin reaction was caused by realgar, a mineral containing arsenic that was labelled on the cream. The doctor reported it to HSA.

The man had bought the cream from a retail website based in Malaysia and it is also sold on e-commerce platform Carousell.

Euzema’s website claimed users would be “able to beat eczema for good with this powerful natural formula”, and that the cream was “steroid-free”, “contained 100 per cent all-natural herbs” and that it had “no side effects”.