Recall databases are valuable tools, but they may not always represent a complete history of all recalls, withdrawals, safety alerts, or enforcement actions.
During research into cosmetic recall records, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed that the recall information displayed on its public Recall, Market Withdrawals, and Safety Alerts page may not include every recall event. FDA further noted that additional records may exist outside of the publicly displayed database and suggested that more comprehensive information may require a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
As a result, recall counts shown in public databases should be viewed as records available from that specific source at the time of publication, rather than a definitive count of all recalls that may have occurred.
For this reason, Market Recalls and related projects may utilize multiple public sources whenever possible, including federal agencies, manufacturer announcements, enforcement reports, and safety alerts. Differences in recall counts between sources do not necessarily indicate an error; they may reflect differences in reporting methods, publication practices, or data availability.
Always consult the original source agency and manufacturer information when making decisions related to product safety.