Throughout the last two weeks, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Cincinnati seized 78 shipments of unapproved cosmetic treatments such as Botox, Juvéderm, and other fillers. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates injectable cosmetic treatments. Products like these can have unknown ingredients that may potentially cause harm to the consumer.

The shipments originated in Bulgaria, Spain, China, Hong Kong, and Korea enroute to destinations throughout the United States including Oregon, South Carolina, New York, and Florida to name a few. A single shipment of Botox, which came from Hong Kong, held 10 vials of Botox botulinum —or about 1,500 injections. Had the products been genuine and FDA-approved, the value for the prohibited injectables would have been $9,000 in this single shipment. The value of all seized injectable shipments in the last two weeks would have had a combined value of $175,399.

When these products are used under the direction of licensed medical professionals, cosmetic injectables can treat an array of health problems and serve their purpose treating aesthetic concerns such as smoothing wrinkles on the face. A multitude of shipments were seized by CBP officers in Cincinnati that contained the following injectables:

• Botox
• Juvederm
• Meditoxin
• Radiessa
• Dermalax
• Neuramis
• Restylane
• Hutox
• Sculptra

Read more at U.S. Customs and Border Protection >>