From Dec. 3, 2022, to June 2, 2023, Unilever recalled 4123,591 bottles of THELAUNDRESS Laundry Detergent, Fabric Softener, and Household Cleaning Products manufactured before Jan. 1, 2021, the company said.
Unilever said the recall was based on the results of the latest THELAUNDRESS U.S. survey.
Last month, Unilever Trading Ltd. had initiated a recall program involving THELAUNDRESS-related products. From November 24, 2022 to May 23, 2023, Unilever Trading Limited recalled THELAUNDRESS Laundry Detergents, Softeners, and Household Cleaning Products manufactured from January 2021 to November 2022*** involving 1806,409 bottles of related products.
This newly announced recall is an expanded recall from the previous one. To date, the two recalls*** involve 5.93 million bottles of related products.
Discontinue use immediately
If immunocompromised
May be at risk of serious infections
As for the reason for the recall, Unilever explained that it's because the products may contain bacteria, including Burkholderia cepacia complex onionis, Klebsiella aerogenes, and a number of different species of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In extreme cases, these bacteria may enter the body through inhalation through the mouth and nose, splashing into the eyes, or through broken skin.
Pseudomonas genus is a group of gram-negative bacilli with strong growth adaptability, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Pseudomonas malodorata, etc. The strains of the genus are widely found in soil, water, plants and animal activity environments, and they are also drug-resistant bacteria commonly found in daily chemical products, according to the Shanghai News.
Daily chemical products with high Pseudomonas spp. indicators are prone to spoilage, and because it is a conditionally pathogenic bacteria that can cause human skin and eye infections, manufacturers of daily chemical products take control measures, such as adding biocides to their formulations, to control Pseudomonas spp. concentrations in their products and the risk of use.
For its part, Unilever said that people who are immunocompromised, have conditions that require treatment with external medical devices and underlying lung disease may be at risk of serious infections and may require medical attention if exposed to these bacteria, but that people with healthy immune systems are not usually affected by these bacteria.
Unilever Trading Ltd. has released the recall plan on THELAUNDRESS' official microblog, Xiaohongshu and online official flagship store and other platforms from now on.
Consumers who provide proof of purchase of the relevant batch of products from the relevant channels and send back the products can exchange the products by way of points, or return the products for a refund in accordance with the paid amount, with postage to be paid by the brand.
"Hermes in laundry detergent"
Public information shows that THELAUNDRESS was founded in 2004 in New York, U.S.A. In 2019, Unilever completed the acquisition of THELAUNDRESS. After entering the Chinese market, the price of THELAUNDRESS's laundry products is generally higher than the average price range of similar products, which is called "Hermes in laundry detergent" by some consumers.
On Nov. 18, THELAUNDRESS made an announcement on its Tmall overseas flagship store, advising users to immediately stop using the brand's products because of the "potential risk of microbial contamination.
According to a previous report by the Qianjiang Evening News, netizens who have tried THELAUNDRESS laundry detergent said, "A bottle of laundry detergent costs one or two hundred dollars, and it looks quite professional." For example, silk clothes, wool/cashmere things have special models, you need to look before you buy.
A netizen looking through the records, found that before a buyer sunshine purchase price, THELAUNDRESS discounted down is not cheap: part of the 475ml specifications of the special laundry detergent merchandise, the purchase price of more than 160 yuan, and 1L loaded classic liquid laundry detergent, baby liquid laundry detergent, as well as dark, white clothing special liquid laundry detergent, the price is a little higher, the purchase price of about 200 yuan!
Netizen comments
A years of brand loyal fans angry to the extreme, said he just stocked up during the double 11 period of 5 bottles of 1L specification THELAUNDRESS baby laundry detergent, a variety of discounts stacked to calculate the actual amount of about 750 yuan, "the child from childhood to adulthood, I do not know how many bottles have been used! Simply! Speechless!" .
Editing | He Xiaotao GaiYuanYuan
Proofreading | Wang YueLong
The Daily Economic News synthesized on the view of the news, Qianjiang Evening News, etc.