The two products that failed the testing include Merida Cleansing Wipes, and Huggies Pure baby wipes. The Merida Cleansing Wipes are used on the eyes and mouth to remove makeup. They contained Staphylococcus aureus, which can cause serious skin infections. It can lead to, “impetigo, boils and folliculitis, while severe cases can cause blood infections.” Individuals with skin conditions, such as eczema, are especially at risk. Health Canada guidelines ban the sale of cosmetics that contain Staphylococcus aureus.
The other product, Huggies Pure baby wipes, contained a bacteria count of 400. The current Health Canada guidelines limit the bacteria count at 100.
Huggies, and the manufacturer Kimberly-Clark, is currently investigating the findings. Bob Brand, a spokesman for the company, issued a statement to CBC News. CBC reports that he stated the, “company records show the wipes conformed to quality standards and did not have elevated levels of bacteria when they left the factory in the United Kingdom.”
The baby wipe product was purchased by a middleman and diverted from its regular shipment. He added, “The concern that causes for us is when we ship and store products, we are very conscious of the environmental conditions, the heat, the moisture, how it’s stored, how it’s handled, to make sure we do nothing to expose it to environmental concerns that might spur the growth of bacteria.”
Read about the testing and results at CBC News.
Sources: CBC
