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FDA warns against purchasing or using chemical peel skin products without professional supervision

[7/30/2024] FDA is warning consumers not to purchase or use certain chemical peel skin products without appropriate professional supervision due to risk of serious skin injuries.

The agency has not approved any chemical peel products, and consumers should only consider using chemical peel products under the supervision of a dermatologist or licensed and trained practitioner.

Many of these chemical peel products are sold in beauty product stores and online and marketed for purposes such as acne, discoloration, wrinkles, and collagen production. They contain ingredients such as trichloroacetic acid (TCA), glycolic acid, salicylic acid and lactic acid in varying concentrations that are too high to be used safely at home without supervision by a dermatologist or other licensed and trained practitioner.

Using products that contain high concentrations of these acids may lead to serious injury from chemical burns. The concentration, number of applications, and length of time a chemical peel product is left on the skin all influence how deeply it can penetrate skin layers and potentially lead to chemical burns.

These products remove layers of skin to varying depths and may cause severe chemical burns, pain, swelling, infection, skin color changes, and disfiguring scars. These injuries may even require emergency care or specialty care from a dermatologist or surgeon.

FDA has issued warning letters to the following companies for selling these products:

Company

Product(s)

Amazon.com

MÔOYAM TCA 50%
Skin Beauty Solutions lactic acid skin peel 90%

Walmart, Inc.

Skin Beauty Solutions lactic acid skin peel 90%

Isis.Gold

TCA 100% Trichloroacetic Acid
Whitening SA Peels

Matte Beauty

TCA 100% Skin Peel
Lactic Acid 90%
Salicylic Acid 80%
Glycolic Acid 70%
Modified Jessner Solution Peel 14%

Skin Beauty Solutions

LACTIC Acid Skin Chemical Peel 90%
GLYCOLIC ACID Skin Cosmetic Grade Peel 70%
Combination Peel GLYCOLIC 35% LACTIC 45% SALICYLIC ACID Skin Chemical Peel 30%

Repare Skinscare

100% TCA Skin Peel” and “GLYCOLIC ACID 70%

FDA encourages health care professionals and consumers to report adverse events or quality problems with these or any medications to FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program:

  • Complete and submit the report online; or
  • Download and complete the form, then submit it via fax at 1-800-FDA-0178.
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