TRADING standards officers from Thurrock Council seized 15 boxes – 241kg – of cosmetics last week after the goods arrived in Tilbury by ship from Lahore, Pakistan in May.
Thurrock’s team seized the goods at the London Container Terminal, after placing a Suspension Notice on them earlier in the year to prevent them moving on.
They had been destined for a business in Ilford – CFS Express, of Sandyhill Road.
The goods included shampoo, soap, hair treatments, dental products, beauty creams and skin-lightening creams. Thurrock’s officers took samples and sent them for testing and the Suspension Notice was issued as original intelligence information suggested the products may be unsafe.
The test results showed all nine products were non-compliant with cosmetics safety legislation and one, Tibet Snow cream, contained 23 times the permitted level of lead. It also had no ingredients, instructions, warnings or manufacturer information on the containers.
Following receipt of the results, all 15 boxes were officially seized on Thursday, 28 August.
The council’s portfolio holder for public protection, Cllr Phil Smith, said: “Yet again the co-operation between trading standards teams has shown a successful result.
“This type of unregulated goods cannot be allowed to reach the streets of Britain and we’re doing our best to stop it.
“The dangers of heavy metals like lead are well known and the fact that one of these products had 23 times the permitted level is horrifying.”
