Four businesses who illegally sold cosmetics containing banned substances have been ordered to pay more than £30,000 in fines and costs following prosecutions instigated by Enfield Trading Standards. One of the substances found was a known carcinogen.
In May last year the Enfield Team conducted a major clampdown on the sale of dangerous cosmetics. ‘Operation Trawl’ saw Officers searching 11 premises in the borough for products that did not comply with European Union safety regulations.
On the initial visits shops were told about their legal obligations and instructed to remove non-compliant cosmetics from sale. They were then revisited to check the products had been removed and if not they were seized and destroyed. Traders who did not heed the advice and guidance and continued to sell the products were prosecuted.
In total some 4,921 products were taken off the market.
Seized cosmetics from Operation Trawl
One shop, operated by Shaba Hair & Cosmetics (UK) Ltd was found to be selling a hair dye product called Crème of Nature Colors which contained the banned substance O-Aminophenol, a known carcinogen.
At Tottenham Magistrates’ Court the following traders pleaded guilty to offences relating to breaching the safety regulations;
- Kannan Stores Ltd of 251 Fore Street, Edmonton, and directors, Mr Kanagasabapathy Mannivannan and Mr Kanagasabapathy Mathisoody were fined a total of £20,025 and ordered to pay costs of £1,762
- Afromart Mini Market Ltd, Hertford Road, and director Eddie Frimpong, were fined £2,945 and ordered to pay £250 costs
- Shaba Hair & Cosmetics (UK) Ltd of South Mall, Edmonton, and director Mohammad Imran, were fined £1,875 and ordered to pay £720 costs
- Beautyqueens Cosmetics (Wood Green) Ltd of Fore Street, Edmonton, and director Mohammed Ziarab, were fined £2,450 and ordered to pay £600 costs
Enfield Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Councillor Daniel Anderson, said;
“It beggars belief that a trader can be told that a product is potentially hazardous to health, asked to remove it from sale and then goes ahead and tries to sell it to someone for a quick buck anyway. It’s totally immoral for traders to make a profit through selling dangerous products and I am delighted they have been hammered with big fines by the court”.
The action by Enfield follows on from an education, sampling and enforcement campaign by London Trading Standards to combat the sale of illegal skin lightening cosmetics. Earlier this year ten other businesses were ordered to pay fines and costs of over £126,000 for their involvement in the supply of illegal cosmetics.
Crème of Nature Colors hair dye – was found to contain banned carcinogen O-Aminophenol