Pretoria - People who have bought Dark and Lovely Precise Diamond Straight and Shine Relaxer 125ml tubs have been advised not to use the product, but to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.
L’Oréal South Africa voluntarily recalled one batch of the relaxer after an isolated incident in the production of the hair product led to an imbalance of the active raw material, affecting one batch only, which gave rise to 22 consumer complaints.
“Those who used the product may experience increased hair breakage and scalp irritation.”
L’Oréal SA country manager Gilles Antoine said that since the start of production of Dark and Lovely in South Africa, in the early 2000s, this was the first product recall in the history of the company.
Antoine said a total of 100 032 units were produced, with batch numbers 87UD00 and 87UD01. All those units are being recalled.
“It is an isolated issue affecting batch numbers 87UD00 and 87UD01.
“We have checked all other similar products manufactured before and after the production of these two batch numbers and can confirm that they are not affected.”
Antoine said they were committed to making products that were safe and effective.
“The safety of our consumers and the quality of our products is our top priority.
“We have stringent processes, including various quality and safety checks throughout the lifetime of this product. This includes post-marketing surveillance of products already on the market.”
As a precautionary measure, the manufacturer has since stopped the production and marketing of this product.
National Consumer Commission acting commissioner Thezi Mabuza said the manufacturer had informed them of the voluntary recall.
“The Consumer Protection Act requires that manufacturers and producers... supply goods and products (that) are of good quality and free of defects.”
She urged suppliers and manufactures to prioritise consumer safety at all times.
The 125ml tubs are also being withdrawn from all affected retail points of sale.
They were manufactured in December 2021, with an expiration date of December 2024.
The product was distributed nationally and exported to neighbouring countries including Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Eswatini, Zambia and Madagascar.
“Those who purchased the hair relaxer can check the batch number at the back of the tub to see if it is the affected batch or not,” said Mabuza.
Pretoria News