Kmart Sued Over Glue Burns: Millions of Bottles Sold Without Warning

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has initiated legal action against Kmart, alleging the retailer sold millions of bottles of its OXX home brand nail glue without adequately warning consumers about potential burn risks. The ACCC claims Kmart continued selling seven varieties of the nail glue despite receiving over 50 customer complaints between August 2017 and December 2024 detailing third-degree burns, skin damage requiring hospitalisation and skin grafts, and reactions with fabrics that caused steaming and melting. Although packaging was updated in December 2024, pre-existing stock without warnings remained on sale until February 2025. The ACCC asserts this failure to disclose material risks prevented consumers from making informed purchasing decisions, constituting a breach of Australian consumer law.

Further allegations by the ACCC involve Kmart's sale of button battery-powered children's watches and GPS tracking tags. The watchdog claims Kmart failed to conduct mandatory safety feature testing for two models of Anko kids digital watches and seven analogue watch models before their sale between June 2022 and November 2024. Approximately 64,000 of these watches, designed for children, were sold without proof that battery compartments were child-resistant. Additionally, 800 Anko GPS trackers were allegedly sold with incomplete mandatory safety warnings. Selling products without required safety information can incur significant penalties, with potential fines up to $100 million.