The China Consumers' Association (CCA) said on Thursday that consumers are entitled by law to demand that substandard products be recalled unconditionally.

Referring to the unfair requirements which consumers have run into when returning defective products, CCA spokesman Wu Gaohan told Xinhua that companies should strictly abide by the law and set no conditions on withdrawn products.

Neodymium and chromium - substances banned in cosmetics which can cause allergic dermatitis and eczema - were detected last week in the Japanese cosmetic brand SK-II.

P&G China, the distributor of SK-II in China, has begun to recall the suspect products. However, consumers are required to sign a so-called "safe product" agreement when they hand in the defective products. In the agreements consumers have to acknowledge that the SK-II products they bought are safe.

"Any new conditions that the company tries to impose are either invalid or illegal," said Wu. "Consumers have to learn to protect their own rights and interests."

The CCA said it would keep a close watch on the case.

Source: Xinhua