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Chloe Hutchinson, 24 years old, was about to film an episode for a TV show called Say Yes to the Dress. In order to prepare, Hutchinson went to buy Veet’s Easy Grip Wax Strips to smoothen her face.
Hutchinson, who works as a bridal consultant, waxed her face a few days before she started shooting the episode. However, a few moments later, she suddenly felt some burning sensation on her cheeks. When she looked in the mirror, she was aghast.
Hutchinson suffered from an allergic reaction that caused damaging scars on her face. She initially did a patch test and didn’t react at all. She, then, proceeded to apply the strip on her cheeks, chin, and eyebrows. That’s when she noticed bumps protruding from her face.
The next day, the bumps transformed into a horrifying red rash. She immediately went to the nearest clinic and was prescribed to a cream and two weeks of antibiotics. It was confirmed that the reaction she had was from the wax strips.
Hutchinson said, “It was absolutely horrific, and being on my face just felt so much worse, I was mortified. My whole face had just erupted. I bought the product because I’d read such good things online and I’m not particularly hairy but I wanted my skin to look all silky on camera.”
She continued, “The director told me not to bother coming in the end, so I missed all of the filming and I was just so upset I was going to spend Christmas looking like that. I had two weeks off work and I was literally crying every day I was so self-conscious and I’d missed so much, all of my Christmas parties, even my own.
“I’d never used these strips before, but I’d used their body strips before and had no problems. I don’t have severe allergies or skin problems and I’ve always been completely fine using any products, so this is massively out of the blue.”
A spokesperson for Veet said, “We are sorry to hear about Chloe’s experience. We continue to look into this case and while we appreciate this takes some time, we are committed to undertaking a thorough investigation.”
The spokesperson continued, “All Veet products are vigorously tested for safety and efficacy. As with all hair removal products, Veet should always be used as per the instructions provided.”
Hutchinson, who’s also a junior law student at the university law school, that she may have to get treatment for the scars. She said, “As a law student I knew that I was well within my consumer rights, I did a patch test and waited 24 hours as the instructions advise but it was only when applied to my whole face I reacted.”
She continued, “My skin has now been left all scarred and scaly, I used to wear just a bit of concealer but now I’m having to pile on heavy duty foundation.”
