A south London business owner has been fined more than £8,500 after selling a skin lightening cream which could cause severe burns.
Adetola Amao, the owner of New Hair London in Woolwich, was fined a total of £8,515.50 by Bexley Magistrates’ Court after she sold the illegal skin lightening cream to an undercover trading standards officer in the midst of lockdown.
The sting, which took place on February 18 last year, then led to 105 cosmetic products being seized from the shop a week later.
The illegal skin whitening cream was found to contain steroids, which when not prescribed by a doctor or pharmacist, can have harmful effects, including severe burns.
A further six offences were found under the Cosmetic Product Enforcement Regulations 2013, including selling illicit cosmetics without proper labelling.
Greenwich Trading Standards said this meant that manufacturers would have had no way to monitor the safety of their products.
Jackie Smith, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Enforcement, said: “Skin lightening creams can be extremely dangerous and cause horrific burns.
“Businesses who flout the law by selling these dangerous and illegal products risk prosecution, heavy fines and imprisonment. As this case shows, we will come down hard on those who put people at risk.”
At an earlier hearing, Amao was fined £350 with £350 costs and a victim surcharge of £50 in relation to a Covid breach on 18 February 2021.
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In December 2021, she was fined a further £3500 plus £4075.50 costs, and £190 victim surcharge in relation to the cosmetic offences.
