30-11-2023 (SINGAPORE) A woman stands accused of peddling a skin cream, known as Star Cream or “xing xing gao,” containing banned substances, including a potent steroid, on the e-commerce platform Shopee to unsuspecting consumers in Singapore.
The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) had issued an alert in June last year after the cream, linked to the woman in question, resulted in a baby suffering from Cushing’s syndrome, a severe medical condition arising from prolonged steroid use. Symptoms include a rounded face, colloquially referred to as a “moon face,” upper body obesity, and slender limbs.
Chin Sook Yee, a 30-year-old Malaysian national, now faces 11 charges under the Poisons Act for selling prohibited substances without a license. Appearing in court for a further mention of her case on Thursday (Nov 30), she had been initially charged earlier this month.
According to the charges, she traded the cream on Shopee under the store name “Starcream_homemade official,” selling it to four buyers between January 1, 2022, and May 30, 2022. Some customers made multiple purchases.
Upon analysis, the cream bottles were found to contain substances classified as poisons under the Poisons Act, including ketocanozole, a medication for fungal infections with side effects such as burning and stinging, and clobetasol propionate, a potent steroid.
If convicted for selling poisons without a license, Chin could face imprisonment for up to two years, a fine of up to S$10,000, or both.
The case harks back to an earlier alert issued by HSA on June 9, 2022, revealing that an infant had been hospitalized due to severe reactions after using Star Cream for diaper rash. The four-month-old had been exposed to the cream since he was two weeks old, suffering steroid toxicity with symptoms like persistent vomiting, abnormal eye alignment, and a bulging soft part of the skull indicating increased brain pressure.
Despite being discharged, the baby required long-term monitoring for steroid toxicity side effects. The parents had purchased Star Cream online based on their confinement nanny’s recommendation, as it was marketed as a homemade cream with natural herbal extracts suitable for all skin types.
Contrary to these claims, HSA’s analysis revealed two synthetic medicinal ingredients, including a potent steroid. Collaborating with e-commerce and social media platforms like Carousell, Shopee, and Facebook, HSA took action to remove the affected listings.
