Recall Archive

Well-Being? Well, Not. Nu Skin Diffuser Recall for Mold

July 27th, 2016. By LucyC

There’s a recall this week—about a mist diffuser from Nu Skin that apparently spreads mold—in addition to whatever it was designed to diffuse in the first place (presumably something to improve your appearance and general well-being).

Sounds kind of serious, and not a little ironic. And, come to think of it, not terribly unique. Products that harm instead of help are among the most common, if not the most common subject of lawsuits and recalls, particularly when they involve products that cause damage to a person’s health and well-being. Some of these are obvious, and others not so much. Medical products, drugs, hair products, those kinds of things come to mind.

I have to admit, I would never have suspected the possibility of mold from a mister—but then again—why not? Perhaps I should have, as increasingly it seems, consumers must educate themselves about the products they are buying, rather than relying on the manufacturer to provide accurate and in some cases truthful information. Parmesan cheese advertised as 100% parmesan cheese when it contains as much as 7% wood pulp, would be one example. Hey—who doesn’t like a little wood pulp with the Spag Boll?

But—there’s a line between deliberately misleading the consumer and genuinely getting it wrong. I find it hard to imagine that diffusers were designed to spread mold. But then, I’m not a conspiracy theorist, even though I can’t really be sure what the intended purpose is/was of these things, except the obvious: to make money for their manufacturers. Guess that has gone all rather horribly pear shaped.

The misters sold for around $170 per unit. Not cheap. According to the recall, as per the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) “Mold can develop on the product, posing a health risk to individuals with compromised immune systems, damaged lungs or an allergy to mold.” So, for just under $200 you can develop respiratory problems that may require medical care. Without leaving the comfort of your own home.

You can imagine—coughing incessantly—and not for a moment suspecting the mister.

Nu Skin Enterprises Inc., of Provo, Utah sold about 44,000 of these pretty little things in the US, with a further 4,800 sold in Canada and 400 in Mexico.

FYI—the recall involves Nu Skin Epoch mist diffusers. The diffuser is a plastic bowl with a glass lid and bamboo trim ring, used to diffuse essential oils. “Nu Skin” is engraved in the bamboo on the side of the product. The white and tan diffusers are 6.5 inches in diameter and 3.5 inches in height. The recalled lot numbers are PZ11351, PZ17051, PZ21551, PZ03151 and PZ03451. The lot number is printed on the white plastic on the bottom of the product. The misters were sold exclusively online by www.nuskin.com from January 2015 through March 2016.

No injuries have been reported, according to the CPSC, but that’s hardly surprising, because a) who would suspect; and b) how would you prove it?

Consumers are being advised to immediately stop using the recalled mist diffusers and contact Nu Skin for instructions to inspect the product for mold and for a free replacement mist diffuser if mold is identified.

Nu Skin is reportedly contacting purchasers of the product directly. Hope the letters don’t get lost in the mail…

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