Several earring products sold by popular jewellery brand have been recalled after they were found to contain dangerously high levels of a certain chemical.
Missoma, whose products have been flaunted by celebrities including Kate Middleton, Florence Pugh and Selena Gomez, told customers to stop wearing the eight items ‘straight away’.
They were found to contain excess levels of cadmium, a naturally-occurring metal commonly found in jewellery.
At such levels, cadmium can irritate the skin, and eventually lead to organ damage and cancer, according to health experts.
Missoma said the amount found in the recalled products was ‘low’ and would not pose any ‘immediate’ risks.
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But it warned they could be ‘toxic if ingested by young children and/or cause adverse health effects through skin exposure over a long period of time’.
According to the UK Health Security Agency, cadmium can cause ‘irritation in contact with the skin’.
‘Exposure to cadmium for a long period of time may result in damage to the bones and kidneys and may cause cancer’, the organisation warns.
However government guidance stresses that absorption of cadmium through the skin is ‘rare’.
The vast majority of health problems linked to cadmium involve ingesting or inhaling it.
Exposure to carcinogens – the term for substances which can lead to cancer – does not guarantee cancer, which depends strongly on factors such as the amount and duration of exposure.
A Missoma spokesperson said: ‘Your wellbeing is our highest priority, we always act with the utmost caution.
‘Following product quality checks in our factories, we have found a conformity issue with certain pieces of our jewellery.
‘Testing has shown these pieces may contain a low level of the metal cadmium, which is in excess of the allowed level of 100ppm.
‘If your jewellery is part of this recall, we advise you to please: stop wearing it straight away and package it up away from children until it can be returned to us.
‘We remain fully committed to your safety and satisfaction and will ensure this issue is resolved promptly. Thank you for your understanding and for being such a valued Missoma customer.’
The eight recalled items are certain gold-coloured stud earring products made in Thailand before May 1, 2025.
They include six single stud earrings with the following product designation: FJ-G-E41-NS-HF Fine Bar Single Piercing Stud Earring, FJ-G-E52-NS-HF Fine Snake Single Piercing Stud Earring, FJ-G-E39-NS-HF Fine Round Single Piercing Stud Earring, FJ-G-E92-NS Fine Trio Single Piercing Stud, FJ-G-E56-NS-HF Fine Star Single Piercing Stud Earring, FJ-G-E32-NS-HF Fine Snake Single Stud Earring.
They also include two pairs of two of the above earring types included in Missoma’s ‘Fine Jewellery Advent Calendar’ released last Christmas: AC-FJ-2024-S Fine Snake Single Stud x 2 and AC-FJ-2024-M Fine Snake Single Stud x 2.
Shoppers who bought any of these can return them to Missoma in exchange for a replacement or full refund.
Earlier this year, Amazon was forced to stop selling a line of butterfly-themed ring marketed towards women and children over excess cadmium levels.
Amazon did not recall the product but said it takes action to ‘maintain a safe selection for our customers, including removing non-compliant products, and outreach to sellers, manufacturers, and government agencies for additional information, when appropriate’.
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