Yuhan-Kimberly wet wipes recalled for excessive methanol

The South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Friday that it will recall 10 wet wipe products manufactured by Yuhan-Kimberly, as they contain excessive methanol.

“We have confirmed that some of Yuhan-Kimberly’s wet wipes were unintentionally manufactured to contain between 0.003 to 0.004 percent methanol, which exceeds the permitted 0.002 percent,” the ministry said.

“As a result, we are ordering a sales freeze and recall of 10 of Yuhan-Kimberly’s wet wipe products.”

Of the 10 affected products, seven are under the Huggies brand -- including Huggies Pure Baby Wipes, Huggies Premier Baby Wipes and Huggies Nature Made Baby Wipes. The remaining three are under the Green Finger brand, including Green Finger Nature Moist Wet Wipes.

Yuhan-Kimberly said it suspects the additional methanol came from base ingredients sourced from third-party suppliers, according to its internal investigation.

All of the 10 affected wet wipe products have been pulled from the market as of Friday, according to the ministry.

The Korean drug safety regulator pointed out that based on its evaluation, wet wipes containing 0.003 to 0.004 percent methanol are not harmful to the human body.

“According to our safety evaluation, there are no safety risks for an adult who uses a cosmetics product with 0.004 percent methanol daily, even if the product were to be absorbed 100 percent into the skin,” the ministry said.

Korea’s methanol inclusion ratio for cosmetics is capped at 0.2 percent. The ceiling is set at 0.002 percent for wet wipes, as they are used for babies, the local drug regulator said. In Europe, the methanol inclusion ratio for cosmetics is capped at 5 percent and there is no set limit in the US.

Customers can receive full refunds for the affected products without a receipt and regardless of the purchase date. Even products which have already been opened can be refunded, Yuhan-Kimberly said.

“We apologize for causing public concern. We will take this opportunity to review and strengthen our safety standards from beginning to end, including the supply sourcing process, and improve our customer safety measures,” the company said in a statement.

For refunds or inquiries, visit www.ykbrand.co.kr/Refund/Application, or call Yuhan-Kimberly’s customer service center at 080-010-3200.

By Sohn Ji-young (jys@heraldcorp.com)