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Parents outraged after cream 'caused baby’s head to balloon'

A baby lotion has been pulled from shelves in China after parents complained that it had caused their daughter’s weight to balloon and fine hair to cover her swollen forehead and cheeks.

Parents of a five-month-old baby girl were left distraught after using the cream Yifuling for two months caused their daughter’s weight to shoot up, according to South China Morning Post.

The cream, which was sold in China, was designed to treat infant eczema.

A mother shown holding a baby with a swollen face.
Parents of a five-month-old baby girl (pictured) were left distraught after a cream caused their daughter’s weight to balloon. Source: Shine/Global Times/ET Today

The concerned parents took their daughter to hospital where a nurse explained she had seen similar symptoms in four other infants, including delays in movement and growth.

“I remember a nurse asked us if we have used any cream containing hormones,” the girl’s father said on state-controlled channel China Central Television.

“She said she had already seen four other babies in the same situation.”

The parents initially reached out to the manufacturer of the cream, which is advertised as hormone-free and the company allegedly threatened legal action against the parents over their claims while denying it contained any hormones.

Blogger tests cream and left ‘speechless’ by results

Desperate for answers, the parents turned to science blogger Daddy Wei who tested the cream and was left “speechless” by the results.

“We have tested hundreds of [allegedly problematic] cosmetics in the past few years,” Wei Wenfeng, the founder of Daddy Lab which carried out the testing said.

“It’s very high above the standard – some of them contained less than 1mg of hormone [per kg], but this cream for use on babies has over 30mg.”

Yifuling cream (left)  and the side effects allegedly caused by the cream (right)
A science blogger tested the Yifuling cream (left) and found it contained high levels of hormones after parents complained of their infants side effects (right). Source: Shine/Global Times/ET Today

Family’s horror at ‘applying poison to our baby’

According to news outlet Shine, after the blogger publicly released the results in a video on social media, Yifuling Multi-effect Special Cream and Happy Forest a touch of shubaobao skin antibacterial cream were pulled from shelves on January 8.

"Clobetasol Propionate is a glucocorticoid drug that should be prescribed by doctor. Long-term use on large areas of skin can lead to Cushing syndrome with side effects such as hair growth, acne, and high blood pressure," a dermatologist surnamed Zhang at Fujian Provincial Hospital told the Global Times.

“We are applying poison to our baby every day,” the baby’s grandmother told Shine.

The blogger told Global Times since releasing the results they had been contacted by about 80 other parents using the cream that had resulted in the same symptoms.

other babies after using Yifuling cream
Since the results went public about 80 parents have contacted the lab complaining their infants have the same symptoms after using Yifuling cream. Source: Shine/Global Times/ET Today

The parents of the five-month-old girl have since stopped using the cream and she has significantly improved.

The manufacturer of the cream, Fujian Ouai Children's Health Care Products Co, denied the products contained hormones and published a report on its official social media accounts showing the product contained no hormones but it has since been deleted, Global Times reported.

It’s believed the cream avoided medical testing as it was sold as a cosmetic or topical product.

The Zhangzhou Municipal Health Commission has ordered the company to suspend production, recalling all the involved products and is testing samples from the factory.

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