P&G pulls SK-II line from China market after government expresses safety concerns

Cincinnati - Procter & Gamble Co. (P&G) has pulled its SK-II skincare line from stores in the People’s Republic of China after that country’s government expressed concern that the products contain small amounts of metals, which can skin irritations, allergies or other side effects.

P&G issued a statement insisting that the products, which are manufactured in Japan, are safe, and that it hoped to resolve the situation with the Chinese government. The P&G statement said, “We simply needed to remove our brand from this unfortunate controversy.”

The Chinese government had expressed concern about products imported from Japan because of small amounts of chromium and neodymium. P&G said the minerals are not used in making SK-II, but that trace elements exist in the environment. The company said it will continue to manufacture SK-II in Japan and to sell it in 12 other countries. Sales in mainland China are only about 7 percent of global SK-II sales, according to P&G.