Kmart shopper's warning after $2.25 product causes extreme reaction 'within minutes'

We all need a little pampering and TLC and, these days, we need it on a budget. There's a reason so many of us are reaching for dupes of popular beauty brands at retailers like Kmart, in order to save some cash - and, hopefully, our skin.

However, for one poor unsuspecting Kmart shopper, a night of self-care ended in awful pain, after her face erupted in hives and redness from using a $2.25 face mask from the budget retailer. Dermal Clinician Jayde Taylor (@drivenbybeauty) told Yahoo Lifestyle that it was likely the young woman's already impaired skin barrier had left her more susceptible to the adverse reaction she experienced

Photos of the woman's face were shared in a popular Facebook group by her mother, who urged other shoppers to steer well clear of the product.

"Please be careful," the mum wrote online. "Added photo of her face today. My daughter (26) used this product today, 5/8/24. It started burning and tingling within the first minute before removing around two minutes as it was burning. Her face has swollen up with hives and redness. It is burning, throbbing with her skin feeling very tight and aching. She has so far taken two Pherneghan and Nurofen which has only taken the edge off her pain."

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The photos also included the product in question - a Grapefruit Illuminating Sheet Mask that is supposed to be paraben-free and contain grapefruit seed extract while encouraging users to "relax, unwind and recharge."

"From the photographs, it appears that the young consumer has an impaired skin barrier characterised by acne," says Jayde. "Using inexpensive skincare products containing high concentrations of grapefruit extract, a citrus ingredient, can aggravate the condition, causing stinging and other adverse reactions. Additionally, the presence of fragrance in the mask is not advisable for patients with compromised skin barriers."

Kmart shoppers share similar experiences

The comment section of the post was positively flooded with responses from people who wanted to share everything from advice to their own experiences using inexpensive skincare.

"I had the same response to the Kmart charcoal face mask too!!! I hope she's okay, how painful!!," one person wrote.

"Yeh sets my daughter's skin off too," another said.

"Yeah, I used some Kmart sheet masks with a friend- neither of us was allergic to the listed ingredients- but we both had to rip them off in minutes as they burnt and hurt our skin!" someone else revealed.

Yet another person shared her own photo and said, "I had a reaction to this exact one as well! I ended up with contact dermatitis."

Allergic reaction or poor quality ingredients?

Other people speculated that the reaction had less to do with the cheap Kmart face mask and more likely due to her daughter being allergic to one of the specific ingredients used in it.

"I’m a beauty therapist so obviously snobby about skincare but honestly, it’s most likely that she’s simply sensitive to something in there, rather than the product being dangerous," was one comment.

"Prob nothing to do with the fact they are Kmart brand be more of an issue to allergy/reaction to a specific ingredient in it," said another.

"It sounds like your daughter has had a very bad allergic reaction," someone else said. "I’m allergic to grapefruit so if I use this I would have the same symptoms. She needs to take antihistamines, it’s not the product your daughter is allergic to an ingredient."

While there are only two reviews for the product on the Kmart website, one of them makes a very similar complaint to the mum's writing, "After putting this on, my face was itching and stung, when I took it off I had a red rash all over my face. Do NOT use on delicate skin."

"Unfortunately, natural extracts and fragrances are often the most irritating components and are frequently listed among the primary ingredients in cost-effective skincare products," says Jayde. "The placement of an ingredient higher on the list indicates its greater concentration."

Importance of patch-testing

Among the sympathy and concern, quite a few people remarked that while they felt bad for the girl, it is the reason it's preferable to patch test first.

"That's terrible to hear but they do say to test a small area before use," said one person.

"Always do a patch test on your inner elbow," said another.

"You should always patch test! This can happen with any product," added a third.

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Indeed, Doctor Shreya Andric - Principal Dermatologist at Northern Sydney Dermatology and Laser - told Yahoo Lifestyle it's a good idea to do a patch test first when trying a new product for the first time, particularly for those with sensitive skin.

"Apply any new products to the upper inner arm for a few days in a row to see if you react to it before applying it to their face," she says.

"I would also advise not introducing a bunch of active ingredients at once, rather introducing a new one every two weeks to ensure you don’t react."

Kmart's response

A spokesperson from Kmart told Yahoo Lifestyle, "At Kmart, we take the quality and safety of all our products very seriously. While these products comply with all required standards, we investigate any quality issues that are raised with us.

We encourage this customer or any customer who experiences an issue with a product to get in touch with our customer service team to ensure that it can be investigated properly."

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