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The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Beauty
Name of Product: Simply Basic Lighted Mirror
Units: About 110,000
Importer: Wal-Mart Stores Inc., of Bentonville, Ark.
Hazard: Exposed wires inside the mirror could pose an electrical shock hazard to the user when they touch the mirror.
Incidents/Injuries: None reported.
Description and Models: The recalled mirror is double-sided, lighted and has three touch control settings. It has a metal stand with a brushed silver-colored finish. The mirror is 6.5 inches in diameter and has a regular side and a magnified side. Model number DK-00118/H-1698-0 is on the bottom of the mirror's base. "Touch lighting with 3 settings" is printed on a white sticker on the top of the mirror's base.
Sold Exclusively at: Wal-Mart stores nationwide from August 2005 through April 2006 for about $15.
Manufactured In: China
Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled mirror and return it to Wal-Mart for a full refund.
Consumer Contact: For more information, contact Wal-Mart at (800) 925-6278 between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's Web site at www.walmartstores.com. (5-31-06)
Name of Product: Hoist Exercise Benches
Units: About 48,000
Manufacturer: Hoist Fitness Systems Inc., also does business as Body Gear, of San Diego, Calif.
Hazard: The bench's front frame assembly (with the foot rest) can fail to lock into place allowing users who grab the bench to position themselves to get their fingers entrapped between the front and back frame assemblies. This poses laceration and amputation hazards.
Incidents/Injuries: Hoist has received two reports of injury, one consisting of a hand laceration and the other consisting of a partially amputated finger.
Description: The recalled exercise benches are free-standing and typically used for free weight workouts. They have white, gray or black steel bases, with a black vinyl bench seat and backrest. The Hoist "5 Position Fold-Up Bench," "Folding Flat Bench" and "Folding Ab-Crunch Bench" are included in this recall. Although the bench names and model numbers do not appear on the benches, the serial number is located on a white sticker behind the seat of the bench. Only benches with certain serial numbers are included in this recall.
Name of Product / Model Number
Hoist "5 Position Fold-Up Bench" / HF-140, HF-142
BodyGear by Hoist "5 Position Fold-Up Bench" / BG-141, BG-143
Hoist "Folding Flat Bench" / HF-4163
Hoist "Folding Ab-Crunch Bench" / HF-4262
Sold at: Specialty dealer stores and large sporting goods retailers nationwide from February 2004 through January 2006 for between $100 and $300.
Manufactured In: China
Remedy: Consumers should contact Hoist Fitness to see if their bench's serial number is included in this recall. If it is, stop using the recalled exercise bench and arrange to receive a free repair kit. Consumers who own the Hoist "Folding Flat Bench" should contact Hoist to return the bench for a full refund.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Hoist toll-free at (866) 849-4797 anytime, or visit the firm's Web site at www.hoistfitness.com or www.bodygearfitness.com – consumers can also e-mail the firm at benchrecall@hoistfitness.com or benchrecall@bodygearfitness.com. (5-02-06)
Name of Product: Eusonic Hair Dryers
Units: About 4,000 (14,000 hair dryers were sold in Mexico)
Importer: Saroj International Inc., of Vernon, Calif.
Hazard: The electric hair dryer's power cord does not have an immersion protection plug. Therefore, if the hair dryer falls into water during use, it can pose a shock and/or electrocution hazard.
Incidents/Injuries: None reported.
Description: The hair dryers recalled are the Eusonic models numbers 9318, 9329 and 2218. The model numbers are imprinted on the opposite side of the handle from where the slide switch is situated. The hair dryers are red, have a black slide switch and the word "Eusonic" is imprinted in black on the blower part of the hair dryer.
Manufactured In: China
Sold at: Various retail stores nationwide from May 2003 through December 2004 for about $10.
Remedy: Consumers should stop using these hair dryers immediately and return it to the store where it was purchased to receive a full refund.
Consumer Contact: Contact Saroj International Inc., toll free at (877) 277-1055 between 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or by e-mail at sales@sarojusa.com . (4-25-06)
Name of Product: Walgreens High Potency Iron Supplement
Units: About 64,000
Manufacturer: Inverness Medical Nutritionals Group of Freehold, N.J.
Hazard: The iron supplements are not in child-resistant packaging as required by the Poison Prevention Packaging Act. Ingesting multiple iron supplements at once can cause serious injury or death to young children.
Incidents/Injuries: No injuries or incidents have been reported.
Description: The recalled supplements were sold in a brown plastic bottle. "Walgreens Finest High Potency Iron Supplement" is printed on the yellow and green label on the bottle.
Sold at: Walgreens retail stores nationwide from April 2005 through October 2005 for about $5.
Manufactured in: United States
Remedy: Consumers should keep this product out of reach of children and return it to Walgreens for a free replacement.
Consumer Contact: For additional information or for a free replacement cap, contact Inverness at 1-(888) 698-5032 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday. Consumers also may visit www.walgreens.com. (3-21-06)
Name of Product: Dove™ SkinVitalizer – Facial Cleansing Massager
Units: About 438,000 units (about 50,000 of which have been purchased by consumers)
Distributor: Unilever of Trumbull, Conn.
Hazard: The cleansing pillows on this device can loosen or dislodge during use and then the SkinVitalizer can cause minor scratches to the skin.
Incidents/Injuries: Unilever has received 33 reports of cleansing pillows from the SkinVitalizer falling off of the device. Unilever has received nine reports of consumers who have experienced minor scratches while using the product. No serious injuries have been reported.
Description: The recall involves a white hand-held Facial Cleansing Massager wand that is intended for use with Dove Cleansing Pillows. When turned on, the unit vibrates. This notice applies to all units and all codes of the SkinVitalizer. No other Dove products or Dove Facial Cleansing pillows are involved in this recall.
Sold at: Discount department, drug and grocery stores nationwide during February 2006 for about $10.
Manufactured in: China
Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the product and contact Unilever for information on receiving a full refund. Unilever will provide all shipping charges for returned SkinVitalizer units.
Consumer Contact: Contact Unilever at (800) 896-9479 anytime, or visit the firm's Web site www.dove.com. (3-07-06)
Units: About 34,600
Distributors: LTD Commodities, of Bannockburn, Ill., and its subsidiary, The Lakeside Collection, of Lincolnshire, Ill.
Hazard: The plastic black clips at the end of the rubber tubing can come apart when in use. In addition, the grommet used to hold the black rubber tubing could separate from the nylon webbing. Consumers using the Pilates balls could fall and be hit by pieces that separate.
Incidents/Injuries: The firms have received four reports of minor bodily injuries.
Description: The inflatable Pilates balls are blue with black handles. They are about 26 inches in diameter when inflated. They are sold with a blue air pump.
Sold by: Catalogs nationwide from August 2005 through September 1, 2005, for about $9.
Manufactured In: China
Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using these Pilates balls and contact the firm to obtain instructions on how to receive free replacement handles. All consumers who purchased these Pilates balls were notified directly about the recall.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact either LTD Commodities toll-free at (866) 736-3654 or The Lakeside Collection toll-free at (866) 847-4327 between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. CT, or visit their Web sites at www.ltdcommodities.com or www.lakeside.com. (1-15-06)
Name of Product: GVP™ Ceramic Hair Straightening Iron
Units: About 20,000
Distributor/Retailer: Sally Beauty Company Inc., of Denton, Texas
Manufacturer: Generic Value Products, of Omaha, Neb.
Hazard: The heated ceramic plates on these irons can loosen and detach during use, posing a risk of burn injuries to consumers.
Incidents/Injuries: Generic Value Products has received 38 reports of the ceramic plate in these irons overheating and detaching from the plastic housing, including two minor skin burns from a detached plate.
Description: This hair straightening iron has a black housing with golden-colored ceramic heating plates. "Generic Value Products™" is written on the top of the iron and "GVP™" is written in a white circle on the side of the iron. The iron was packaged in a black and white box with the letters GVP™ in large type in the upper left hand front corner. The SKU is 264800, which is written on the packaging.
Sold At: Sally Beauty Supply stores nationwide and in Puerto Rico from March 21, 2005, through April 5, 2005 for about $70.
Manufactured in: South Korea
Remedy: Consumers should stop using these irons immediately and return them to any Sally Beauty Supply store for a full refund or exchange for a different straightening iron.
Consumer Contact: Call Generic Value Products toll-free at (800) 526-3009 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or go to their Web site at www.GVPrecall.com. (6-02-05)
Units: 220,000
Manufacturer/Importer: The W.E. Bassett Company, of Shelton, Conn.
Hazard: The plastic handles can detach and cause consumers to lose their grip, resulting in injuries to the eyes and face.
Incidents/Injuries: Bassett has received 11 reports of injuries from the grip handles breaking off, causing abrasions, contusions and bruising in and around the eye.
Description: The "Frosted Grip" eyelash curlers have pink-plastic handles and are sold with a rubber re-fill pad. The eyelash curlers were sold under various brand names including TRIM and Salon Plus. There are no identifying marks on the eyelash curler. However, item numbers are printed on the packaging. Item numbers involved in the recall include 5-87B (sold at Wal-Mart, CVS and Shopko), 5-87RA (sold at Rite Aid) and 5-87S (sold at Kroger).
Sold at: CVS, Meijer, Kroger, Rite Aid, SaveMart, Shopko and Wal-Mart stores nationwide from September 2003 to June 2004 for between $3 and $4.
Manufactured in: China
Remedy: Consumers should stop using these eyelash curlers immediately and contact The W.E. Bassett Company for a prepaid mailer to return the eyelash curler for a free replacement plus a $5 off coupon toward any TRIM product.
Consumer Contact: For more information, consumers should contact The W.E. Bassett Company toll-free at (877) 929-1933 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday or visit their Web site at www.trim.com. (7-29-04)
Sassi America has received a report of a 2-year-old girl in Pompano Beach, Fla., who sustained severe external and internal chemical burns after swallowing the liquid primer.
The primer is packaged in amber-colored bottles with black caps. The model number 508, 509, 510, 511 or 512 is written on the front of the label. "SASSI" also is written on the labels. The primer was sold in .25-ounce, .50-ounce, 1-ounce, 2-ounce and 4-ounce size bottles. The acrylic primers were sold separately and in kits.
Grocery and beauty supply stores nationwide sold the primer from June 2000 through January 2004 for between $2 and $10.
Consumers should return the acrylic primer and kits to the store where purchased to receive a refund. For more information call Sassi collect at (847) 228-0334 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday. (1-20-04)



