South Korea Advises Redesign of Cosmetics Mistaken for Eye Drops

South Korea's consumer watchdog has advised four cosmetic products that closely resemble eye drops to halt production or alter their packaging following a series of incidents where individuals mistakenly applied them to their eyes.

The Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) issued the recommendations after receiving reports of people confusing products like skin serums and athlete's foot medication with artificial tears. Between January 2021 and June of the current year, the Consumer Injury Surveillance System (CISS) recorded 21 such cases. Cosmetics and athlete's foot treatments were the most frequently mistaken items, each accounting for four instances, or 19.0% of the total.

One particularly concerning case involved a skin moisturizing serum packaged in a clear, single-use plastic container, which was mistakenly put into someone's eye in February. Cough and phlegm medicine (2 cases, 9.5%) were also implicated, along with instances of confusion involving car air fresheners, alcohol cleaning solutions, instant adhesives, vitamin concentrates, and lens cleaning solutions.

The majority of reported symptoms, 16 out of 21 cases (76.2%), involved eye pain, discomfort, stinging, or burning sensations. More severe outcomes included three cases (14.3%) of eye damage leading to vision impairment. The KCA's intervention aims to prevent further injuries by addressing the packaging and product design similarities that are causing these dangerous mix-ups.