Medsafe warns families not to use skincare products after they are found to contain ‘potent steroid’

The NaturaCoco moisturising and soothing creams contained a prescription-only steroid and should not be used, Medsafe said. Photo / Medsafe

Medsafe has issued a warning about two skincare products used to treat children’s eczema after they were found to contain a “potent steroid”.

The medical regulatory body said NaturaCoco Moisturising Cream and Dok Apo Moisturiser Soothing Cream contained fluocinonide, a prescription-only steroid that could cause side-effects and affect the health of users.

“If you have bought these products, do not use them,” Medsafe said in a notice issued yesterday.

The products are made in the Philippines and sold by a Hamilton-based retailer, NaturaCoco New Zealand.

The family-run retailer promoted the products online as “kid friendly” and “suitable for all ages”. Parents posted on its social media pages that they had used the creams to treat their children’s eczema.

But two weeks ago the retailer said sales of the products were on hold while Medsafe carried out an investigation.

Medsafe said yesterday that laboratory testing found that the moisturising cream was 0.01 per cent fluocinonide and the soothing cream was 0.008 per cent fluocinonide.

The corticosteroid should be used only with a prescription from a doctor, Medsafe said. There were currently no approved products containing this steroid in New Zealand.

The NaturaCoco labels did not declare the presence of fluocinonide.

Medsafe said it had seized the NaturaCoco products and taken action to stop their supply.

Anyone who had bought the creams was urged to dispose of them or return them to a pharmacy.

They were also told to make an appointment with a GP to check they were not experiencing any side-effects.

“The risk of side-effects is greatest if you have been using these creams for a long time on a large area of skin, if the skin was broken or if used in children.”

Individuals or businesses that had imported the products for personal use or resale did not have consent to distribute them as medicines in New Zealand, Medsafe said.

NaturaCoco said on its website that it was no longer able to sell or distribute the products in New Zealand and was co-operating with Medsafe to recall them.

It offered refunds to customers.

“We sincerely apologise for this error. As small business owners, we are devastated by this result.

“We started importing this cream to the New Zealand market after our own child, who battled with skin problems, finally found some relief.”

Isaac Davison is an Auckland-based reporter who covers health issues. He joined the Herald in 2008 and has previously covered the environment, politics, and social issues.