Aleena Brown says her daughter Amelia, 11, was taken to Bristol Children’s Hospital after a reaction to a £3.50 facial cleanser, but Primark says its investigation found the product met all safety standards
A mum has hit out at Primark after alleging her daughter experienced a serious allergic reaction to one of the retailer’s facial cleansers. Aleena Brown claims Amelia, aged 11, required treatment at Bristol Children’s Hospital last week after her face became swollen and her skin “started peeling off”.
The mum believes the reaction was triggered by Primark’s PS… Jelly Facial Cleanser – a gift her daughter had found in her Christmas stocking. Ms Brown said Amelia was on a FaceTime call with some friends last week when she decided to try the £3.50 product, alleging it immediately caused her daughter’s face to feel “tingly”.
According to Ms Brown, Amelia hadn’t applied anything else to her face and it was her first time using this particular product.
“She went to the bathroom and washed five or six times and told me the burning [sensation] was starting to get really bad. She is not allergic to anything and has never had a reaction before, but she didn’t sleep well that night so we assumed she was having a little reaction to the cleanser.
“She asked for the day off in the morning and I am usually really militant about school, but it looked very sore so we popped to the GP.”, reports Bristol Live.
Ms Brown said the doctor prescribed Amelia an antihistamine. However, when she woke the next morning, Ms Brown said her daughter’s face had “doubled in size” and she was “in a lot of pain”.
She rushed Amelia to Royal United Hospital in Bath where medics administered a stronger antihistamine. “After that her skin started to dry out and get really tight,” Ms Brown explained.
“Wednesday was sort of okay, but by Thursday it was something from a horror movie.
“It looked like a burn and she was crying ‘mummy’, so we went to the minor injuries unit at Trowbridge Community Hospital. The doctor took one look and referred us to Bristol Children’s Hospital.”
Ms Brown revealed she handed over the cleanser’s ingredients list to the dermatology department and her daughter’s skin was swabbed for analysis. The results, she noted, are still pending.
“All the skin, the whole epidermal layer, is peeling off her face. She has to have a thick layer of Vaseline on every day and it’s incredibly itchy.
“She has been left very red, swollen, puffy, sore, and has experienced a strong burning sensation. She is struggling to eat due to the swelling. It’s so scary and we are very keen to warn and safeguard other parents and children.”
Bristol Live has learnt that Primark examined the particular batch of PS…Jelly Facial Cleansers alongside its supplier, with all findings satisfying the necessary safety and quality benchmarks, revealing no concerns.
The product has also previously been subjected to independent dermatological assessment, encompassing trials on sensitive skin groups and a 96-hour patch examination, and adheres to all relevant UK and EU cosmetic safety requirements. Primark has reportedly sold several thousand units of PS…Jelly Facial Cleansers to date, and Bristol Live understands that instances of such severe reactions are exceedingly rare.
A spokesperson for Primark stated: “We take the safety and quality of our products very seriously and work closely with our suppliers and quality team to ensure they meet strict safety standards. As well as this, all of our cosmetic products are assessed by qualified safety experts before going on sale. We’re sorry to hear about the experience of this customer and are in touch with them to fully investigate this.”
Ms Brown, who is taking Amelia back to Bristol Children’s Hospital on Thursday for further treatment at the burns unit, expresses her general concern about the “level of testing going into pocket-money priced products”, like the one Amelia used.
“The dermatology team have said it could be a combination of ingredients that caused the reaction, but they don’t know which ones. I just don’t want this nightmare to happen to anyone else.”
Ms Brown, a resident of Trowbridge, understands that the batch in question has been investigated but is advocating for additional testing on this specific Primark product. She admits she doesn’t know how long it will take for her daughter’s face to heal and that Amelia is being kept off school “due to the risk of infection”.
“It’s a case of wait and see for Amelia; the doctors said it could be a week, two-to-four weeks or a couple of months before it heals. She is taking liquid ibuprofen to ease the pain.”
