Online posts promote 'natural' skincare product despite Malaysian government's mercury warning
- Published on May 1, 2026 at 08:03
- 2 min read
- By Raevathi SUPRAMANIAM, AFP Malaysia
Malaysia's health ministry ordered two skincare products to be pulled from shelves in early April 2026 after one was found to contain mercury and another prescription ingredients, but posts advertising them for sale continued to spread online. A health expert has told AFP the public should always seek professional help for skin issues.
The products, "Glowing Night Cream" and "Glowing Herbal Treatment", made by a company called Glowing Beauty Skincare, are falsely advertised as chemical-free in a Facebook post shared on April 25.
"Want healthy, glowing, and acne-free skin? Let's try gb skincare .. Natural ingredients, gentle for all skin types," the post reads, adding the cream can eliminate dullness and moisturise the skin.
The image attached to the post shows a box of five different types of skincare products, two of which were recalled by the Southeast Asian nation's health authority.
Similar posts falsely advertising the products were shared elsewhere on Facebook.
The posts continued to circulate after Malaysia's health ministry ordered the products to be taken off shelves on April 2, warning that "Glowing Herbal Treatment" contains mercury, while "Glowing Night Cream" includes substances available only by prescription such as hydroquinone and betamethasone 17-valerate (archived link).
The ministry said mercury is prohibited in cosmetics because it can damage the kidneys, the nervous system and cause rashes.
It went on to say that unsupervised use of the cream containing prescription ingredients can cause side effects such as "redness of the skin, causing the skin to become thin and prone to irritation as well as increasing the risk of absorption into the bloodstream".
"Members of the public who are currently using these cosmetics are advised to immediately discontinue use and seek advice from a health professional if they experience any discomfort or adverse effects," it said, and called on shops to contact the nearest district health office so that remaining stocks can be seized.
Banned from sale
Dr Alice Prethima, a cosmetic and medical aesthetics specialist, advises the public to always seek professional help for their skin issues (archived link).
"Prescribed skin care is the best practice and skin analysis should be done so they understand the condition of their skin," Prethima told AFP on April 30.
"If they need to buy online, the quality of the vendor must be assured due to the existence of copycats and people who make false promises," she said, warning there is no "magic ingredient" that solves everything.
AFP has previously debunked false claims related to consumer safety.
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