Jesus cosmetics prove too cheeky for Singapore

Reuters

NEXT TO GODLINESS: A reange of Jesus toiletries has been pulled from the shelves in Singapore, becasue they upset the nation's Catholics

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Want to use Jesus handcream? Well, you can't anymore. At least not in Singapore.

A Singapore-based retailer pulled a line of cheeky Jesus branded cosmetics from its shelves after complaints from irate Catholics, the local newspaper reported.

The cosmetics, called "Lookin' Good for Jesus", is made by American makeup company Blue Q. It was sold in three Topshop outlets in Singapore.

Wing Tai Holdings, which manages the Topshop brand in the city-state, pulled the items of its shelves late last month after some customers complained, the Straits Times newspaper reported.

"We don't want to offend our customers," a company spokesman was quoted by the paper as saying.

Reuters could not get a comment from Wing Tai as its offices were closed for the Lunar New Year holiday.

The Straits Times said Nick Chui, 27, a Catholic, spotted the items in a Topshop outlet and then wrote a letter to Wing Tai last month saying that the products trivialised Jesus Christ and Christianity.

"There are also sexual innuendoes in the messages and the way Jesus is portrayed in these products," the paper quoted Chui as saying.

Some of the products sold include, a "virtuous vanilla" lip balm, hand and body cream and a mirrored Jesus statuette. They feature a drawing of Jesus flanked by two adoring women and carry slogans such as "Get tight with Christ", "Get His Attention" and "Redeem Your Reputation and More".

Blue Q also carries other tongue-in-cheek items such as a "Believe in God Breath Spray".

In Singapore, about 50 per cent of the population are Buddhists and 14.6 per cent are Christian.

- Reuters