KUALA LUMPUR -- A local newspaper reported on Thursday that Malaysia's National Pharmaceutical Control Bureau (NPCB) has banned a total of 12 cosmetic products for health hazards as they have been found to contain toxic ingredients.

The products include the following: Krim Malam Rahsia Rimba, Chantique Whitening Night Cream, Felisa Gentle Peeling Solution, H2O + Waterwhite Brightening Night Cream, Atika Beauty Renewal Night Cream, Eriesya Spa Beauty Cream, Biocosmet Whitening Essence Cream, Magixpress Lightening Plus, A. Vant Cream, Temulawak Whitening Pearl Cream Papaya, Natasya Krim Herba and Ratna Sari Whitening Night Cream.

The New Straits Times reported that the registration of the products were cancelled by the bureau over the past 11 months because they contained hydroquinone and tretinoin (retinoic acid) which have already been prohibited for use.

According to the daily, the NPCB bans the importation, production, distribution and sale of the products, and must be removed from stores.

The report said that tretinoin, used for acne control and treatment, decongests the pores by exfoliating the superficial skin layer. The problem is that the acne usually gets worse before it gets better, and tretinoin is known to cause side effects such as scaling of the skin, stinging, inflammation or flushing.

The United States Food and drug Administration (FDA) recommended in 2006 that products with hydroquinone be sold only under prescription because its likely to be carcinogenic and for a possible link discovered in studies in Africa to a skin disease called ochronosis.