China orders destruction of toxic lipstick

Chinese quality inspectors have ordered the destruction of six types of lipstick found to contain the carcinogenic industrial dye Sudan Red.

Photo: China orders destruction of toxic lipstick

Sudan Red, a dye used for leather, floor polish and other household chemicals, was found in lipsticks made by two companies based in the southern city of Shantou, the State Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said in a statement seen Wednesday on its Web site.

It said the two companies were ordered to stop production, recall the products and destroy them under the supervision of the authorities.

Calls to Shantou Hengfang Cosmetics, one of the companies named in the report, rang unanswered Wednesday. A woman who answered the phone at Shantou City Siloran Cosmetics Co., the second firm named, said the company was cooperating with authorities but would not comment further. She would not give her name, reports AP.

Inspections have found Sudan Red dyes in various products sold in China, such as roasted meat, chilli powder and other spices.

The report by the quality inspection bureau noted that 94 percent of the 102 lipsticks investigated were of acceptable quality.