If you bought Neutrogena's latest acne-killer, you might want to put it back in the box. The Neutrogena Light Therapy Mask and Activator is being recalled due to possible risks of eye injury, including pain, blurry vision, and irreversible eye damage. While Health Canada says that Johnson & Johnson is recalling their product "out of an abundance of caution," Australia's Department of Health had more to add. According to them, for a small group of people with certain eye-related disorders, repeated exposure can cause varying degrees of damage as well as accelerate peripheral vision impairment or loss. Whoa, thanks to @beccacaddy for the heads up on this -- terrible that this isn't bigger newshttps://t.co/XIwuOg7OG3— Holly Brockwell (@holly) July 18, 2019 FYI: Neutrogena is recalling their Light Therapy masks due to potential eye injury.I agree that this is unlikely in low-risk consumers, but ppl are also using these devices more frequently than pros. Keep this in mind for all home LED skin products.https://t.co/WaSAy6NYJq— Veronica Gorgeois (@VeronicaGorgeoi) July 17, 2019 What @Neutrogena says:https://t.co/aBJViRPGWaSPOILER ALERT: They are minimizing the issue of potential retinal damage when you use their light-therapy acne mask.— Claudia K Sargent (@ckswarriorqueen) July 18, 2019 Neutrogena's Light Therapy Acne Mask and Activator was launched in 2016 as one of the first mass-market light therapy options. It includes blue and red light to treat acne and, according to Neutrogena, "proved effective for customers with nearly 80 percent of subjects in trials showing fewer breakouts in just one week." The masks cost around $53 in Canada and many celebs jumped on the bandwagon to promote the at-home product when it first came out. Chrissy Teigen and Lena Dunham were among them. The device was marketed as a low-cost version of light therapy for acne, which can cost up to $60 per session at high-end salons. pic.twitter.com/0mV48gZylH— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) October 25, 2018 View this post on Instagram Saw the ad for the light therapy acne mask and became obsessed so when we got home from our journey it was waiting on my side of the bed. Thank you @jackantonoff, even if you just did it to amuse yourself. #notanad #justapsycho UPDATE: for those thinking this is a fancy awards season prep tool to the stars, it's Neutrogena and it's $35. A post shared by Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) on Dec 28, 2016 at 12:44pm PST In a statement on their website, Neutrogena said, "The [Mask] is safe for use by the general population when used once per day as directed. Reports of visual effects associated with the use of the [Mask] are rare, generally mild and transient. For a small subset of the population with certain underlying eye conditions, as well as for users taking medications which could enhance ocular photosensitivity, there is a theoretical risk of eye injury." Other side effects associated with the product are pain, discomfort, and irritation to the eyes, tearing, blinding, blurry vision, seeing spots or flashes, and other changes such as vision colour. If you or someone you know has been using the device and are experiencing visual discomfort, you can contact Neutrogena about a refund at 1 (800) 582-4048. You should also always report any concerns with consumer products and cosmetics to Health Canada.
