A HOME pampering session is the perfect way to spend the evening in coronavirus isolation.
But one mum was left shocked when she says a £1 face mask from Poundland turned her and her eight-year-old son’s faces red raw and “burning up like a volcano”.
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Speaking exclusively to Fabulous, horrified parent Mika Lord, 31, explained how she had purchased the vegan beauty product from the budget store for a quid, and tried it out with little boy Alfie.
The mum – from Newcastle – revealed: “We did the face masks when lockdown boredom set in as a nice relaxing treat.”
However, after just three minutes the ‘Coconut Face Mask’ – which is labelled as containing “natural extracts” – began to feel rather unpleasant.
She continued: “Both of our faces started to sting. Alfie said his face was burning up like a volcano, and you could feel the heat radiating off him.
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“I wiped his off first before mine, and was mortified to see a little tomato looking back at me. I soothed his face with a cool flannel.
“I then wiped mine off and, again, a tomato was looking back at me in the mirror. The pain was horrendous.”
Mika added: “We looked like we’d just stepped off a ski slope with no sun cream after ten hours!”
The worried mum wants to warn other parents against using the affordable product on their children.
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Mika said: “The face mask stated from natural extracts and suitable for vegans, so I presumed it would be a soothing mask as opposed to giving the effects of a chemical peel.”
She added: “Neither of us have overly-sensitive skin and and don’t have any specific skin requirements when it comes to skincare, hence why I thought this mask would be ok.
“I’ve used Body Shop face masks in the past and think I will stick to these.
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“However as a fun alternative for children I’d advocate making your own at home and avoid this one at all costs.”
Mika, who says their skin is still “slightly tender”, said she has got in touch with Poundland to complain.
Fabulous approached both Poundland and Healthpoint Ltd, who produce the mask, for comment.
Poundland said: “We’re sorry that they appear to have had a reaction. If they get in touch with us we’ll give her feedback to the supplier of these items.
“Beautifully Scrumptious confirm these masks are formulated to the highest standards but they also stress how important it is customers do a patch test before use.”
We have previously reported how another mum, who used the same product on her daughter, 10, found it left her skin “on fire”.
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On that occasion, Bob Waling, technical director at Healthpoint Ltd, said: “The masks are formulated by qualified professionals and manufactured in the UK at a facility that is accredited to ISO 22716:2007 – Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and BRC (British Retail Consortium) for personal care products.
“The formulation was approved by an independent qualified safety assessor and a cosmetic product safety report issued that confirms the products comply with EC Regulation 1223/2009 on cosmetic products and are safe for use in their intended application. The products are also tested for their longevity prior to manufacture. Each batch is tested for conformity to specification and a certificate of analysis is issued.
“Complaints are extremely low and at the time of writing 99.97% of users are satisfied with the face masks. However, we are sorry to hear that a very small number of customers have experienced temporary irritation & redness when using Beautifully Scrumptious face masks. All complaints for these products have been fully investigated and any irritation or redness has been found to be the result of an allergic reaction rather than any fault of the product.
“If you look at online reviews for most brands of clay mask products you will find a small number of complaints about temporary irritation & redness.
“The product is safe for use for most customers, however, to assist the small number of customers who may experience temporary irritation & redness, the instructions inform customers that they should patch test before using, as follows:
“’Always patch test on a small area of the face before use. Very rarely, irritation & redness may be experienced by users with sensitive skin. In the unlikely event that irritation occurs – discontinue use.’
“It would appear from the comments on the forum that people who have experienced redness or irritation have not patch tested before use. I would also point out that there are several positive comments about our product from people who have used the products and love them.”
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