GENUINE – AFP warning about chemical found in beauty products is real
A warning is spreading across social media that claims the Australian Federal Police has warned about a potentially dangerous chemical being imported in branded makeup products from China.
The warning is real.
An example of the warning is below –
#ALERT ATTENTION ALL MAKEUP USERS: THE Australian Federal Police have issued a dire warning to everyone who uses makeup users after a deadly chemical was found hidden in a popular beauty product.
The chemical can cause sudden loss of consciousness, memory loss, respiratory difficulties, coma and even death.
On December 22nd 2016, the Australian Federal Police released a statement on their website warning that border authorities have seized an unusually large amount of a substance called gammabutyrolactone, which is a border controlled chemical often used to manufacture a drug called “Fantasy”, alternatively dubbed “coma in a bottle”.
The drug is being concealed in beauty products, specifically products designed to remove makeup glue commonly used to attach fake eyelashes. The AFP have warned that these products may be purchased by legitimate beauty outlets and sold to customers.
The statement claims that four seizures each containing 5 litres of the chemical have been made in the last month alone. In many cases, the bottles were unmarked.
The AFP statement reads in part –
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Border Force (ABF) are today issuing a warning to the public about an alarming method of illegal importations of gammabutyrolactone (GBL), commonly used to manufacture the dangerous drug known as ‘Fantasy’.
Police and border agencies are seriously concerned about the methods criminals are using to attempt to import this border controlled drug, also known as ‘coma in a bottle’, which has been found concealed within commercial beauty products imported from China.
In the last month alone four seizures, each containing five litres of the drug was found in containers purporting to be gel used to remove make-up glue. The drug is being unwittingly purchased by the legitimate beauty industry potentially putting the health of consumers at risk.
AFP acting Assistant Commissioner Chris Sheehan today stressed if beauty salons or members of the public have any concerns or adverse reactions to any beauty product, they should seek immediate medical advice.
“The potential harm with using these misleading products, many of which are not labelled, is particularly high in products used for the removal of imitation eye lashes,” acting Assistant Commissioner Sheehan said.
“When ingested this dangerous substance is capable of ruining lives in a single incident.