Ace Bed, which falsely and exaggeratedly advertised its bed disinfectant insect repellent containing harmful substances as harmless to humans, will be sanctioned by the Fair Trade Commission.
On the 8th, the Fair Trade Commission announced that it would impose corrective orders on Ace Bed for violating the "Act on Fair Labeling and Advertising" related to its display and advertising practices.
According to the Fair Trade Commission, Ace Bed released and sold Microguard, a bed disinfectant insect repellent used by installing it on the side of its mattresses, and from around November 2016 to June 2018, the product packaging indicated that it was manufactured using "harmless ingredients to humans."
The main ingredients of Microguard, diethyltoluamide and chloroxylenol, have been evaluated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency as having certain levels of toxicity and health hazards depending on the route of contact with the body, such as eyes, skin, and oral intake.
The Fair Trade Commission pointed out, "The Microguard packaging emphasizes in red the expression that the product is made with ingredients 'approved by the U.S. EPA,' and also includes the phrase 'harmless to humans (government-certified testing completed),' which may cause misunderstanding that the main ingredients of this product are harmless to humans."
The Fair Trade Commission regarded this act as a false and exaggerated labeling act (violation of Article 3, Paragraph 1 of the Act on Fair Labeling and Advertising) that could deceive consumers or cause them to misunderstand, thereby harming fair trade order.
The Fair Trade Commission explained that this measure is significant in that it detected and sanctioned false and exaggerated labeling acts that inaccurately represented the harmlessness of the main ingredients contained in the product amid increasing consumer interest in the harmfulness or harmlessness of chemical products.
A Fair Trade Commission official stated, "We will continue to monitor unfair labeling and advertising practices to ensure that information is accurately provided to guarantee consumers' right to know about chemical ingredients and harmfulness in products and their choice regarding products directly related to human health, and will strictly sanction any violations detected."
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