Facial mask pulled off shelves after death

Watsons China has pulled one of their facial masks off shelves across the country following the death of a 42-year-old woman whose relatives claimed the product caused the tragedy.

According to news portal fjsen.com, the woman from Fuzhou, capital of East China's Fujian province, surnamed Jin, purchased Watsons' White Pearl facial mask in July.

After using it on Aug 6, Jin's body turned red and her lips purple and she was rushed to a hospital where she later died, the report said.

On Friday, Watsons China posted a statement on its Sina Weibo micro blog stating that the product met national quality standards and passed a toxicological risk assessment conducted by a third-party agency in Europe.

More than 900,000 boxes of the facial mask have been sold since 2010 and no complaints have been reported about allergic reactions to the mask, the statement said.

There is as of yet no evidence to prove the facial mask is the cause of Jin's death, said a spokeswoman for Watsons China, who identified herself as Zhang.

The brand has been removed from Watsons China's stores out of an abundance of caution, Zhang said.

"Watsons customers who may have purchased the product at our stores can return it for a full refund," she said, adding tests on the product are under way.

If tests prove it is safe it will be returned to shelves, she said.

The company said in an earlier statement that Jin's family has not agreed to cooperate with it in its internal probe and an autopsy.

Fuzhou police said the incident is a civil case and is still under investigation.

An officer with the Shangjie police station, which administers the case, said police are trying to help family members negotiate with Watsons China.

Jin's relatives could not be reached on Sunday.

A dermatologist at Fujian Medical University Union Hospital surnamed Wang said she had never come across a case in which a person died from using a facial mask.

Most problems related to facial masks are allergy-based, she said.

Wang urged customers to read instructions carefully when choosing cosmetics.

Watsons China is part of the health and beauty retail and consumer division of the Hong Kong-based A.S. Watson Group. It operates more than 1,000 stores on the mainland, according to its website.

sunli@chinadaily.com.cn