Packaging of hair products that looked like fruit bags for children were withdrawn from the market, following a complaint from DECO and investigations by the authorities.
The withdrawal from the market of “all units” of the products, a DECO source told Lusa, was communicated by the National Authority for Medicines and Health Products – Infarmed.
The similarity of the packaging of Fructis brand hair products had been denounced last June by DECO, a consumer protection association, when it warned that could be confused with fruit bags, remembering that the law prohibits “dangerous imitations”.
The complaint was sent at the time to Infarmed and the Economic and Food Safety Authority (ASAE).
In August, Infarmed contacted the company to inform it that make “necessary corrections”.
According to the information sent to Lusa by the association, Infarmed explained that, after contacting the distribution company, L’Oréal Portugal, the respective inspection action was initiated so that the company could take measures to correct “the non-conformities found in the national market” in relation to the packaging of the hair care range “Hair Booster”, from Fructis.
Credits: GARNIER
“After evaluating the respective measures proposed and adopted by the company L’Oreal Portugal, Unipessoal Lda., that is, the withdrawal from the national market of all units of the aforementioned products, we inform that the process has been completed,” Infarmed reported.
Infarmed orders L’Óreal cosmetics with banned ingredient to be removed from the market
In an article published in June, DECO points out the new packaging of the “Hair Booster” hair care range (Proteins, Vitamin C and Amino Acids) from the Fructis brand, by Garnier, marketed by L’Oréal.
“According to national and European legislation, the manufacture, import, export or marketing of products considered dangerous imitations, such as cosmetics that could be confused with food, is prohibited. Therefore, products that, although not food, may, in some way, mislead the consumer due to their appearance, packaging, labeling or color, are prohibited,” the text reads.
Although the label states “Keep out of the reach of young children without supervision” and “Do not ingest”, the warnings “seem insufficient”, given that the appearance of the packaging is very similar to that of a fruit packet, thus highlighting the consumer protection association.
Source: Observadora
