Australian watchdog sues Kmart over burn injuries from nail glue and unsafe kids' watches
The ACCC has filed a Federal Court case accusing Kmart of selling OXX nail glue that caused severe burns without proper warnings, and of marketing children’s watches and GPS tags with unsafe button batteries.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has taken Kmart to Federal Court, claiming the retailer breached consumer law by offering its OXX nail-glue range without adequate burn-risk warnings. Victims, including children, reported third-degree burns, hospitalisation and, in some instances, skin grafts after the glue reacted with fabric and ignited skin. Although Kmart received more than 50 complaints from August 2017 to December 2024, it only updated packaging in December 2024 and continued to sell existing stock lacking warnings until February 2025.
The ACCC also alleges Kmart sold Anko-branded digital watches and GPS tags that use button batteries, failing to test whether young children could open the battery compartments, and neglecting required safety labels. Approximately 64,000 watches and 800 tracking tags were sold between June 2022 and November 2024. The regulator says such omissions can amount to false or misleading representations, carrying a potential penalty of up to $100 million.
Why it matters
Consumers may be exposed to serious burn injuries and unsafe products due to missing safety warnings.
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