Dear Jeffrey Bezos,
In May 2012, I purchased two skin bleaching products that contained hydroquinone, a known carcinogen from your Amazon website. The sale of cosmetic products containing hydroquinone has been banned throughout the UK/EU since 2001.
I looked at your website today, 9th May 2013 and when I conducted a search on the word 'hydroquinone' it returned over 190 results. Several of the titles were described as containing the substance with sponsored adverts below promoting similar items.
Many of the people who use skin bleaching products are very vulnerable and suffering from a body dysmorphic disorder. This typically manifests itself as a desire to obtain european ideals of beauty even at severe risk to their health.
In 1989, a US Department of Health and Human Services study into the toxicology of hydroquinone revealed it as a cause of nephrotoxicity and carcinogenity. The World Health Organization has also suggested that skin lightening creams containing 2% hydroquinone have produced leukoderma, as well as ochronosis.
The products you sold me contained 2% hydroquinone. It is thus my belief all such goods are unsafe, defective and therefore unfit for purpose as defined by the Consumer Protection Act 1987.
Jeffrey , I believe it is wrong for Amazon to commercially profit from malignant products that induce illness in your customers, I also believe it is wrong for Amazon to profit from facilitating the supply and/or importation of illegal substances. Some of the users of these types of products are children as young as four. I hope you feel the same and are prepared to play your part in tackling this pernicious trade.
Please could you remedy this situation by establishing a policy that leads to the removal from sale of all items containing the banned substance hydroquinone on the UK/EU version of the Amazon website.
Could you also suspend traders from the Amazon Marketplace that fail to follow this directive.
It is my hope that in you and Amazon providing a good example of moral leadership on this issue, it will hopefully influence other online retailers to do the same.
Yours Sincerely.
Toyin Agbetu
External Links
Hydroquinone - Health and Safety GuideHydroquinone Products on Amazon
In May 2012, I purchased two skin bleaching products that contained hydroquinone, a known carcinogen from your Amazon website. The sale of cosmetic products containing hydroquinone has been banned throughout the UK/EU since 2001.
I looked at your website today, 9th May 2013 and when I conducted a search on the word 'hydroquinone' it returned over 190 results. Several of the titles were described as containing the substance with sponsored adverts below promoting similar items.
Many of the people who use skin bleaching products are very vulnerable and suffering from a body dysmorphic disorder. This typically manifests itself as a desire to obtain european ideals of beauty even at severe risk to their health.
In 1989, a US Department of Health and Human Services study into the toxicology of hydroquinone revealed it as a cause of nephrotoxicity and carcinogenity. The World Health Organization has also suggested that skin lightening creams containing 2% hydroquinone have produced leukoderma, as well as ochronosis.
The products you sold me contained 2% hydroquinone. It is thus my belief all such goods are unsafe, defective and therefore unfit for purpose as defined by the Consumer Protection Act 1987.
Amazon CEO: Jeff Bezos
The Remedy
Jeffrey , I believe it is wrong for Amazon to commercially profit from malignant products that induce illness in your customers, I also believe it is wrong for Amazon to profit from facilitating the supply and/or importation of illegal substances. Some of the users of these types of products are children as young as four. I hope you feel the same and are prepared to play your part in tackling this pernicious trade.Please could you remedy this situation by establishing a policy that leads to the removal from sale of all items containing the banned substance hydroquinone on the UK/EU version of the Amazon website.
Could you also suspend traders from the Amazon Marketplace that fail to follow this directive.
It is my hope that in you and Amazon providing a good example of moral leadership on this issue, it will hopefully influence other online retailers to do the same.
Yours Sincerely.
Toyin Agbetu
External Links
Hydroquinone - Health and Safety GuideHydroquinone Products on Amazon
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Click here to speak out or read (5) comments about this articleMany of the people who use skin bleaching products are very vulnerable and suffering from a body dysmorphic disorder. This typically manifests itself as a desire to obtain european ideals of beauty even at severe risk to their health.
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