20 out of 37 make-up primers surveyed in Hong Kong may disrupt hormones

Almost 95 per cent of make-up primers surveyed have been found to contain substances that can potentially disrupt a person’s endocrine system, cause allergies or pose risks to the environment, Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog has said.

Consumer Council chief executive Gilly Wong Fung-han on Monday urged residents to be cautious when choosing face primers after it found that just two of the 37 brands checked had no ingredients of concern.

“Women trying to get pregnant, who are pregnant or breastfeeding should avoid products containing potential endocrine disrupters,” she said, encouraging adolescents to refrain from developing make-up habits too early.

Wong added that consumers could consider buying products that had simple formulations and using face lotions as a substitute for primers.

The council reviewed the ingredient list on the labels of the 37 primer models it bought, with prices ranging from HK$108 (US$14) to HK$995 each.

Ingredients that could potentially disrupt a person’s endocrine system, which secretes hormones into the bloodstream, were detected in 20 products.