4 February 2025, Quezon City.  The toxics watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition urged consumers not to patronize a skin-lightening product being sold online after finding it contaminated with over 41,030 parts per million (ppm) of mercury, way above the trace amount limit of 1 ppm under the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive.

XRF screening detects dangerously high levels of mercury in this Thailand-made Best Beauty facial cream.

The group detected mercury in a “travel-size” Best Beauty skin care cream (blue jar) using a handheld X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyzer. Sold online for P151 per jar of five grams, the product is barely labeled and the only clue to its country of origin is the Thai script on its lid.

The product contains no information about its manufacturer or distributor, its composition, batch or lot number, and production and expiration dates.

According to the description posted by the online seller, the product is a herbal cream for skin maintenance, skin conditioning, and for treating acne, blemishes and dark spots on the face.  It claims it contains turmeric, which helps to brighten the face.  Using the product, according to the seller, can tighten skin pores, balance skin condition (and) reduce oily skin.

“Small and incredibly nasty,” commented Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition.  “We are shocked to find this tiny product loaded with extremely high concentrations of mercury.”

“Consumers should not be duped into buying and using this poisonous product that can do more harm than good to the skin and a person’s overall health,” she said.

To avoid being misled by products that promise to brighten the skin and solve skin problems, the EcoWaste Coalition urged consumers to consult with medical professionals, particularly licensed dermatologists.

Consumers are advised not to buy skin care products with no authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as such products have not been verified for quality and safety and may pose serious health risks.

Consumers are likewise warned from purchasing products with inadequate labeling information, noting that non-compliance with the mandatory labeling requirements for cosmetics is a red flag that the product is unauthorized, adulterated or counterfeit.

Cosmetics like skin lightening products with mercury content are hazardous to human health and the environment and should not be produced, traded and used, the EcoWaste Coalition said, noting that women of child-bearing age and children are most susceptible to the health-damaging effects of mercury exposure.

According to the fact sheet “Mercury in Skin Lightening Products” published by the World Health Organization (WHO), “adverse health effects of the inorganic mercury contained in skin lightening creams and soaps include: kidney damage, skin rashes, skin discoloration and scarring, reduction in the skin’s resistance to bacterial and fungal infections, anxiety, depression, psychosis, and peripheral neuropathy.”

“Mercury in soaps, creams, and other cosmetic products is eventually discharged into wastewater,” the WHO warned.  “The mercury then enters the environment, where it becomes methylated and can enter the food chain as highly toxic methylmercury in fish. Pregnant women who consume fish containing methylmercury can transfer the mercury to their fetuses, which can result in neuro-developmental deficits in the children,”

To prevent mercury exposure, the EcoWaste Coalition again reminded consumers to shun chemical whiteners and embrace their natural color instead, stressing that all skin colors are beautiful.  “We can and we must challenge racist cultural norms and insist that our skin is beautiful as it is.”

Reference:
https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/330015/WHO-CED-PHE-EPE-19.13-eng.pdf?sequence=1