Shipment of ‘vaginal tightening gel’ seized at MSP Airport

Customs officials say they seized a shipment of more than 2,500 syringes of an injectable cosmetic labeled as a “vaginal tightening gel” last week at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers stopped the shipment from Hong Kong, which was addressed to a home in Woodbury, on Nov. 20.

The cargo contained 2,536 pre-filled syringes of an unapproved gel that officials warned could be harmful to users because they might contain contaminants or ineffective compounds and lack quality control.

“This dangerous shipment is another example of someone using unregulated gels to prey on unknowing consumers with false promises,” said LaFonda Sutton-Burke, field operations director of the CPB’s Chicago office. “Not knowing what you are inserting in your body can be deadly, and consumers believe they are getting a discount, when in fact they are purchasing an inferior product with unapproved ingredients.”

Officials recommended consulting health care professionals for medical advice and urged patients to obtain their prescription medications from licensed pharmacies in the U.S.