Mum gnawed by guilt over ‘giving son poison’, after using Star Cream bought online for baby’s skin rash

SINGAPORE — When Mrs Huang’s newborn son started developing a nappy rash, she decided to try a cream that was recommended by the confinement nanny whom she had hired to look after the child.

The 43-year-old life sciences researcher, who declined to give her full name, was told by the Malaysian nanny that the skin product, known as Star Cream, contained no steroids and that it was an effective way of treating rashes.

The nanny was already using the cream on the baby boy after she was hired in December. It was her own bottle of Star Cream, which she received from a previous client that had bought the bottles in bulk.

The mother of two decided to fork out around S$100 for an 80ml bottle that she found on online shopping site Shopee.

On Thursday (June 9), the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) issued a warning against the use of Star Cream, stating that the skin product had caused "steroid toxicity" in an infant — Mrs Huang’s son — even though it was marketed on online shopping sites as a homemade cream that did not contain steroids.

As a result of using the product, Mrs Huang’s son, who was four months old when he was hospitalised, suffered persistent vomiting and developed an abnormal eye alignment and a bulging head. The baby was later diagnosed with Cushing’s syndrome, a serious medical condition caused by prolonged use of steroids.