Singapore's cosmetics regulator has pulled one of the most-bought K-beauty moisturisers of the past two years off the market as a precaution. On 21 August 2026, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said it had worked with the three companies marketing the Medicube PDRN Pink Collagen Capsule Cream in Singapore to suspend its sales and recall the product, following reports that it may contain Sudan Red.
> Quick view: One product only - the 55g tub printed PDRN PINK COLLAGEN CAPSULE CREAM. HSA's advice if you own one: stop using it as a precautionary measure. Nothing has been proven here - HSA is still testing, and Medicube's owner has published Korean lab reports saying Sudan Red was not detected. The rest of the Pink PDRN range is not part of this recall. There is no central refund scheme; go back to the seller. On Medicube's own Singapore store this morning, the product page 404s.
*Product photo: Medicube official.*
What HSA actually said
HSA's position, as reported on 21 August, has four parts, and it is worth separating them because they get flattened in most write-ups:
- It is aware of the recent reports on the Medicube PDRN Pink Collagen Capsule Cream.
- It has worked with the three companies marketing it to suspend sales and recall the product.
- It has advised consumers who have purchased it to stop using it as a precautionary measure.
- It has launched an investigation and will conduct testing, and will take "relevant regulatory actions should safety concerns be detected".
That last line is the one to hold on to. Singapore has not published a test result of its own. The recall is precautionary and the investigation is live.
What Sudan Red is, and why it is banned here
Sudan Red is not a skincare ingredient at all - it is a family of synthetic industrial dyes (Sudan I, II, III and IV) used to colour things like solvents, waxes and polishes. It turns up in consumer-safety news because it is cheap, intensely coloured, and periodically found where it should not be.
In Singapore, Sudan Red dyes are prohibited ingredients in cosmetic products under the Health Products (Cosmetic Products - ASEAN Cosmetic Directive) Regulations 2007. HSA cites the health basis as potential carcinogenicity and the capacity to cause allergic reactions. Supplying a cosmetic product containing a prohibited ingredient in Singapore carries a penalty of a fine of up to S$50,000 and/or up to two years' imprisonment.
Where this started: Hong Kong, 24 July
The trail begins outside Singapore. On 24 July 2026, Hong Kong Customs issued a public alert about a model of collagen cream after following up on media reports. Customs officers bought the product from the market in several districts and sent it for safety testing, and the Government Laboratory reported that results indicated the presence of Sudan Red.
Hong Kong Customs said the product was suspected of contravening its Consumer Goods Safety Ordinance, and separately flagged that it lacked the required Chinese-language warnings under the Consumer Goods Safety Regulation. Its advice was the same as HSA's would be a month later: "For safety's sake, people should stop using the product", and traders should take it off their shelves.
The other side: what Medicube's owner says
This is where a fair account has to slow down. APR, the Korean company behind Medicube, has publicly disputed the finding.
According to statements it has published, APR commissioned third-party testing at an accredited Korean testing organisation, carried out on 1 August 2026, examining the product for Sudan I, Sudan II, Sudan III and Sudan IV. All four were reported as "Not Detected", at a stated minimum detection level of 10 parts per million. APR says the samples tested came from its authorised production and quality-control process, and it shared the lab reports on its own social channels.
APR has also raised a chain-of-custody point: it questioned whether the sample Hong Kong tested can be conclusively linked to products supplied through its authorised distribution network, noting that the publicly available information did not identify details such as the batch number or the distribution route.
You do not have to pick a side to act sensibly here. A regulator saying "stop using it while we test" and a brand saying "our authorised stock tested clean" are not mutually exclusive - not when a product this popular has grey-market and parallel-import stock circulating alongside official channels.
The detail almost everyone gets wrong: which tub
Medicube's Pink PDRN line is large, and the names run together. The recall names one product:
- PDRN Pink Collagen Capsule Cream, 55g - the tub with the pink capsule beads visible in the cream, and that exact phrase printed across the front.
Not named, and not covered by this recall: PDRN Pink Peptide Cream, PDRN Pink Peptide Toner, PDRN Pink Peptide Eye Cream, PDRN Pink Peptide Glow Serum, PDRN Pink Niacinamide Milky Toner, PDRN Pink Gel Cleanser, PDRN Pink Whip Cleanser, PDRN Pink Collagen Exosome Shot, PDRN Pink Collagen Jelly Gel Mask, PDRN Pink Caffeine Overnight Wrapping Mask, PDRN Lip Sleeping Mask.
If you are standing at a shelf or scrolling a marketplace listing, read the words on the tub. "Pink" and "PDRN" alone will not tell you which one you are holding.
What we found on Medicube's own Singapore store
We checked themedicube.com.sg, Medicube's official Singapore storefront, on the morning of 22 August 2026:
- The PDRN Pink Collagen Capsule Cream product page returns a 404.
- The item does not appear anywhere in the 66 products listed in the store's catalogue.
- By contrast, the similarly named PDRN Pink Peptide Cream page still loads normally, as do the other Pink PDRN items above.
So on the brand's own Singapore channel, the recalled product is already gone. That is consistent with a suspension of sales - though it does not tell you anything about the marketplace listings, parallel imports or physical stock that may still be out there, which is the reason HSA's advice is aimed at people who already own a tub rather than only at sellers.
What to do if you own one
- Stop using it. That is the regulator's stated advice while testing is underway.
- Keep the tub, the box and your receipt. Do not bin it yet - proof of purchase and the batch details on the packaging are what a refund claim or a report will need.
- Go back to whoever sold it to you. There is no central refund scheme published by HSA. Marketplace purchase? Open a case in the app rather than only DM-ing the seller, so there is a record.
- If your skin reacted - rash, burning, swelling, persistent irritation - see a doctor. You can report the reaction to HSA through the contact channels on hsa.gov.sg.
- Check before you rebuy. If a listing is vague about which cream it is, treat that as a reason to skip it.
One timing note for this weekend
Medicube is listed among the K-beauty brands on the floor at the Mega Beauty Festival at Singapore Expo Hall 6A, whose second and final weekend runs 21 to 23 August 2026. Clearance-format fairs sell whatever stock is on hand, so if you are going, this is a good week to read the tub carefully - and a good week to remember our standing advice about checking expiry and batch dates at fair booths.
The bottom line
A precautionary recall is not a verdict. What is settled: HSA has suspended sales and recalled the product, and says to stop using it. What is not settled: whether the cream sold in Singapore contains Sudan Red at all - HSA is testing, and the brand has published lab reports that say it does not. Until HSA publishes its result, the cautious call costs you nothing, and the tub is not going anywhere.
*Details are from HSA's statement as reported on 21 August 2026, Hong Kong Customs' public alert of 24 July 2026, and APR's published test reports. Regulatory positions can change - check hsa.gov.sg for the latest. This article is general consumer information, not medical advice.*
