A Thai model who sparked outrage in her country after flashing her rear online to promote a bottom whitening cream has been charged over the racy sales tactic.
Nitthakarn Nunthasuteepat, 25, made a video of herself demonstrating how the cream had turned her derriere a ‘beautiful pale colour.’
But the footage – a week after a Bangkok clinic was fined for claiming it was attracted 100 men a month for penis whitening – sparked outrage on social media.
Police arrested the model and charged her under consumer protection laws with ‘mislabelling’ the product.
She now faces up to a year in prison or a fine of 100,000 baht (£2,300) or both because of the cream — which she sells alongside vaginal tightening ‘soaps’ and face whitening masks.
A Thai model who flashed her rear online to promote a bottom whitening cream has been charged over the racy sales tactic
Col Chanannat Santhawanpat, chief of the Consumer Protection Sub-division Region 4 in Bangkok, said the product’s container had insufficient details and could be misleading.
Her video could be classed as pornography, he said.
He added that Nunthasuteepat had been released on bail while officers pass the case to The Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate her products.
Dr. Somchai Preechaavejkit, Deputy Secretary General of the FDA, added: ‘The produce advertised is registered, as a cosmetic body care in the form of whithening substances, so it must be checked whether the message is displayed as requested with or without the whole label and substances used.
‘We believe that there is an advertising fault because claiming there is an instant switch in colour of the bottom from dark to white is not allowed.
Nitthakarn Nunthasuteepat made a video of herself demonstrating how the cream had turned her derriere a ‘beautiful pale colour’
Police arrested the model and charged her under consumer protection laws with ‘mislabelling’ the product
Dr Preechaavejkit that the FDA will work with the police to check if the other products she sells are are correctly advertised or contain prohibited substances.
Nunthasuteepat said she had been selling her creams through social media for around a year.
She denied that she had intended to be provocative or that her products were non-compliant.
The single mother claimed the video was just demonstrating the successful results she had when using the cream.
‘I have a child to support and no husband. I am just trying to take care of myself and my daughter,’ she said. ‘I hope people can understand and accept my apology.’
It comes a week after the Lelux Hospital in Bangkok sparked controversy in Thailand for its penis whitening service.
The procedure, which uses laser whitening, got wide play on Thai television and social media after the hospital released images of a man undergoing the treatment.
The hospital said it began offering the unconventional treatment six months ago, and now has three to four clients per day.
It left the public both baffled and alarmed, but the clinic said they have more inquiries than ever.
‘These days a lot of people are asking about it. We get around 100 clients a month, three to four clients a day,’ Bunthita Wattanasiri, a manager for the hospital’s Skin and Laser department told AFP.
The whitening service costs around $650 for five sessions.
WHAT IS PENIS WHITENING AND INTIMATE BLEACHING?
Undergoing procedures to lighten the skin of the genitals, anus or groin area has become increasingly popular in the past year.
Laser bleaching of private areas is carried out by using a type of laser which damages or kills the cells that produce melanin – the pigment that gives skin its colour.
Most clients have to undergo a few laser sessions before achieving a desired result, and each session usually takes 10-15 minutes.
Laser bleaching comes with small risks of infection and scarring, and should always be carried out in a professional clinic setting.
Popular: The Lelax Hospital in Thailand says most penis whitening clients are aged between 22 and 55
Skin lightening can also be carried out at home using a bleaching cream.
However, professionals recommend to visit a clinic before embarking on any at-home treatments as bleaching creams can cause damage if not applied correctly.
This is particularly important when bleaching the sensitive skin on the genitals or anus.
Popularity of bleaching private parts has been linked to several high-profile celebrities, such as Kourtney Kardashian, publicly admitting to having these procedures done.
HB Health of Knightsbridge, a leading medical aesthetic clinic based in London, reported a 23 per cent in the number of people – men and women – asking for anal bleaching in 2017.