Argos has withdrawn a range of face tattoos for children after two sisters were left with marks that burned and itched on their faces after using them.
Mum Cheryl Ritchie was alarmed when she couldn’t clean the tattoos from the faces of daughters Faye, nine, and Daisy, three.
She left her girls soaking in the bath for longer than usual, with wet sponges on their faces.
But eventually, as the tattoos came away, it was clear they had taken away layers of skin.
Shocked Cheryl, from Scone, Perthshire, said: “It looked like they had come off their bikes and scraped their faces on the floor.
“They both said they were itchy and sore.”
Cheryl phoned Argos in Perth, where the tattoos had been bought as a Christmas present for Faye, but was not satisfied with the
company’s response.
She said: “The guy I spoke to just said bring the box back in and we’ll refund you. He didn’t seem to have any concern about the
damage caused.”
Cheryl’s fiance, Darren Bannerman, made a follow-up call. He said: “They just seemed very keen for us to bring the rest of the pack back.
“They said they’d refund us and send the materials away for testing.
“I’ve told them I’d rather ask Trading Standards to do any testing so that it is independent.
“If there is something wrong with this stuff, we want to make sure they are honest about it.”
Cheryl took Faye and Daisy to their GP yesterday.
She said: “The doctor said it looked like they had reacted to something, gave us some cream and said the marks should fade, but obviously this shouldn’t happen to anybody’s wee girls.
“They just wanted to dress up and add some sparkle to have fun, then they’re left with throbbing itchy faces.
“It’s shameful really and we’re not impressed with how Argos reacted.
“If there is something wrong with the materials used then they need to be changed, and other parents who might have this stuff lying around need to be warned.”
Argos said, “All of the products we sell have to meet high safety standards, and as a precaution we have taken tattoos off sale while we investigate with the manufacturer.”
Asked repeatedly whether this was the first complaint received about the product, they eventually replied: “We’re investigating with the manufacturer.”
