Hong Kong health officials raid beauty shops, seize 'human tissue' injection vials
Hong Kong's Department of Health raided four beauty premises, seizing over 100 vials of suspected poisons and 70 vials of unregistered products, including 20 vials of Elravie Re2O claiming to contain human tissue. A 38-year-old woman was arrested. Officials warn the product lacks safety data and vio
The Department of Health (DH) has raided four beauty service premises in Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok, Tsuen Wan and Yuen Long, seizing over 100 vials of suspected Part 1 poisons for injection and more than 70 vials of suspected unregistered pharmaceutical products for injection, the agency announced on 21 October.
Among the seized items were 20 vials of a product called Elravie Re2O, packaged in Korean and claiming to contain human tissue. A 38-year-old woman was arrested during a joint operation with police at the Mong Kok premises on suspicion of unlawful possession of Part 1 poisons and unregistered pharmaceutical products, and suspected unlawful commercial dealing in human organs.
Dr Fung Ying, Controller for Regulatory Affairs at the DH, said the product is classified as a "regulated product" under the Human Organ Transplant Ordinance and as a "pharmaceutical product" under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance. The DH received an exemption application for the regulated product and is processing it, but no exemption has been granted. No registration application has been received for the product as a pharmaceutical product.
Dr Fung said the product lacks clinical safety data and poses potential public health risks, and that the DH has written to all doctors and private healthcare institutions reminding them to comply with the law. Products manufactured from human tissue are regulated products under the Human Organ Transplant Ordinance and require an exemption approved by the Director of Health before sale.
Offenders under the Human Organ Transplant Ordinance face a fine of HK$50,000 and three months' jail on first conviction, and HK$100,000 and one year's jail on subsequent conviction. Under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance, unlawful supply or possession of unregistered pharmaceutical products or Part 1 poisons carries a maximum fine of HK$100,000 and two years' imprisonment per offence.
The DH has referred other cases involving alleged sale of non-exempted regulated products to police. From 2023 to September 2026, its Drug Office handled 108 convicted cases involving sale or possession of unregistered pharmaceutical products, with the heaviest sentence at 10 months' jail and the highest fine at HK$242,000.
Dr Fung reminded the public that injection procedures are medical procedures and should only be performed by registered medical practitioners or dentists, and that people should verify a doctor's qualifications and not assume injections are risk-free because they are marketed as cosmetic treatments.