In Philippines, Robin Padilla’s wife Mariel’s ‘gluta drips’ scandal spotlights deadly skin-whitening treatment

In a since-deleted Instagram post showing Mariel hooked up to an IV in a Senate office, she told her 4 million followers she never misses ‘a drip’
So-called gluta drips are sought after in the Philippines for their supposed ability to whiten skin, despite doctors’ warnings they can be deadly

Popular Filipino actress Mariel Padilla has whipped up a storm of criticism in the Philippines after posting a photo of herself appearing to receive a controversial skin-whitening intravenous therapy inside her senator-husband’s office.

In a since-deleted Instagram post, Padilla told her 4 million followers on Wednesday last week that she never misses “a drip because it really helps in soooo many ways”.

The photo showed the 39-year-old receiving the treatment – which appeared to be a “gluta drip”, referring to a mixture of glutathione, an antioxidant, and vitamin C that’s marketed as an energy and metabolism booster which also whitens skin – in the office of her husband, an actor turned senator, with the Senate seal and national flag as a backdrop.

Mariel Padilla is seen hooked up to an intravenous drip in the office of her husband, Philippine Senator Robin Padilla, in this screengrab of her since-deleted Instagram post. Photo: Instagram/marieltpadilla