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The Korea Herald
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THE INVESTOR
March 28, 2024

Retail & Consumer

Amorepacific kicks off global recall of antimony-tainted products

  • PUBLISHED :April 04, 2018 - 14:31
  • UPDATED :April 04, 2018 - 16:29
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[THE INVESTOR]  Amorepacific said on April 3 that it has started the recall of six cosmetics sold under Etude House and Aritaum brands for containing toxic ingredients.

“We commenced the recall in all six countries where the products are sold, including Thailand and Malaysia,” an Amorepacific spokesperson told The Investor.




RELATED:
Amorepacific recalls makeup for excessive antimony content


On March 20, the Korean beauty giant said it would recall the cosmetics for containing excessive amounts of antimony -- a heavy metal content that can cause sicknesses. At the time, Amorepacific said it would issue recalls if the authorities demand it, but later changed its mind to recall all tainted products voluntarily.

“We decided to do this globally because we figured that everything’s connected and can affect consumers in other countries,” said the spokersperson.

The company added that although around 1,500 units of the problematic products had been exported, less than 10 percent were actually sold to customers.

Industry experts had differing views on the issue.

“Amorepacific reacted adequately both in the domestic and overseas markets, and the number of problematic products was small, so I doubt it will impact its stock price,” said Lee Sun-hwa, an analyst at Eugene Investment and Securities said.

However, Cape Investment & Securities analyst Kang Soo-min argued in his report that “although it might not have much impact on the firm’s stock price, the (antimony) issue will affect consumer trust and sales of Amorepacific’s products.”

This is not the first time that Amorepacific has had to issue a recall due to safety concerns.

In 2016, it recalled 11 toothpaste products after the Korea Food and Drug Administration found toxic chemicals in a preservative that was used. The same year, the company voluntarily recalled oil tint products for failing to qualify for mandatory contamination control.

By Song Seung-hyun (ssh@heraldcorp.com)

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