The next time you toss one of those fizzy, Technicolor bath bombs into your tub to take some much-deserved me time, consider reading up on just what's inside those delightfully effervescent balls. Cosmopolitan U.K. reports that a 10-year-old girl was rushed to the ER after she developed a rash after soaking with a bath bomb.
Mom Leanne Keating says that her daughter, Tia, had been taking a bath with a Passion Fruit & Melon Fragrance Explosion bath bomb from U.K. chain Wilko's. It was the very first time that Tia had ever used a bath bomb. Everything seemed fine, but five days later, Keating discovered that Tia had developed a rash that looked like meningitis. She immediately rushed her daughter to the hospital, but doctors couldn't identify exactly what had happened. Tia was sent home after being diagnosed with a "severe skin reaction."
"It just keeps getting worse. Her skin is really itchy. It's really affecting her self-esteem. She just won't come out of her bedroom, she's really low about it," Keating says. "I've taken her to the doctor's and the chemists, and they've given us cream, but it isn't working."
The rash has also spread. Keating adds that the reaction had only been on Tia's stomach, but has since moved to her neck, face, arms, and legs. Keating notes that Tia followed all the directions and that there was nothing on the product that stated it wasn't appropriate for people with sensitive skin. She's asked medical professionals, too, and nobody can seem to pinpoint what's going on with Tia's skin.
"I didn't know it was the bath bomb at first. But a friend of mine who is medically trained asked me if Tia had got anything for Christmas that she's used that was different," Keating told Cosmo. "The only thing she'd used that was different was the bath bomb. She doesn't have sensitive skin, there were no warnings or anything on the label, it just said to keep away from babies."
A Wilko spokesperson says that the bath bomb had passed a Cosmetic Product Safety Assessment. This is the first time that anyone's complained about the product and the company is still investigating.
"We're really sorry to hear of Mrs. Keating and Tia's situation and customer safety is paramount at Wilko," the spokesperson said. "This is the first incident we've been made aware of but we have launched an immediate and rigorous investigation and continue to liaise with Mrs. Keating."
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