A popular skincare brand has pulled one of its face masks from shelves after consumers reported reverse reactions to using the product.
Last week, Yes Toannounced that it would be removing its Grapefruit Vitamin C Glow-Boosting Unicorn Paper Mask from stores following reports of reactions such as red faces, swelling, burns and blisters.
“My daughter got the mask as a stocking stuffer. Within two minutes of wear she was crying. Her face was red, blisters were forming, and she was in pain,” one person wrote on Facebook.
Another said: “After three minutes I felt like my face was on fire - took the mask off and you could see a definite line where the mask had been, and my face was beet red. It didn’t return to normal for hours.”
“I've never had a bad reaction to a face mask before,” someone else wrote. “This one left my face burning and severely red, like I had a horrible sunburn. How can they sell this product that's burning people?”
Others expressed concern that the mask was marketed towards teens and young girls, as the packaging features a unicorn and the mask is a shimmery pink.
On Target and Ulta’s websites, where the mask is still available to purchase, the description states that the mask “helps brighten and even skin tone” and that it is made of “96 per cent natural ingredients and vegan”. One-star reviews making up the majority of reviews, with many citing the same reactions.
According to the brand, it plans to investigate why the mask, which contains ingredients such as grapefruit seed extract and polyvinyl alcohol, caused the issues.
The company also apologised for the reactions to the mask, and asked that those who used the product contact its customer care team.
“At Yes To, the safety and satisfaction of our customers are our main concerns. We value you and apologise to anyone who was affected in this way, especially over the holiday season,” the company said.
While the exact ingredient that caused the reactions is currently unknown, New York City dermatologist Dr Joshua Zeichner previously told InStyle that “Any one of a number of different ingredients could cause a reaction on the face from a mask” but that “fragrances and preservatives are common culprit, as well as acne ingredients such as salicylic acid or retinol”.
In a statement to The Independent, Yes To said: "Yes To is committed to ensuring the safety and integrity of all of our products and has maintained a strong track record of delivering quality products to our customers since our founding in 2006.
We have recently seen reports on social media that children have used the Grapefruit Vitamin C Glow-Boosting Unicorn Paper Mask, unfortunately resulting in skin irritation. We have also received some similar reports from adults who have used the product. We apologise to anyone who was affected in this way, especially over the holiday season. While our products are all independently tested for safety, irritation, and allergy – and while we provide both warnings and instructions on our products about the potential for skin irritation – the safety and satisfaction of our customers are our main concerns. As such, we have decided to pull this particular product off of the shelves while we investigate the complaints that we have received and seen online.
We have reached out to all our retailers and informed them that we are voluntarily pulling the product off the market and to please remove all Grapefruit Vitamin C Glow-Boosting Unicorn Paper Masks off their shelves immediately. However, each store has a different procedure and process when removing products. We hope to have all products completely removed by Friday and will continue to follow-up with each store to make sure that the product is pulled from shelves as quickly as possible. We have directed the stores to refund anyone who returns a not used purchased mask to the store and have advised them to let the customers who have already used the product to contact Yes To."
