TOXIC watchdog BAN Toxics is urging social media and online shopping platforms to take down content, advertisements, and listings promoting skin lightening products (SLPs) banned by the Food and Drug Administration due to toxic mercury.
A recent social media monitoring effort by BT Patrollers on platforms such as TikTok, Facebook Reels, Facebook Marketplace, and shopping sites like Lazada and Shopee revealed the ongoing advertisement and sale of prohibited beauty products containing mercury—a dangerous neurotoxin that poses serious health risks.
BAN Toxics has been actively monitoring the sale of mercury-containing SLPs and has contributed to a report by the Zero Mercury Working Group (ZMWG) on the availability of these products through some of the world’s largest online retailers. The report provides evidence that hazardous SLPs remain widely accessible in global markets. Despite being banned under an international treaty, mercury-added SLPs continue to be sold to unsuspecting consumers.
The group purchased SLPs online and screened them using a Vanta C Series XRF Handheld Chemical Analyzer. The tested products include Aneeza Gold Beauty Cream, Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene, Goree Day & Night Beauty Cream, Goree Gold 24K Beauty Cream, Faiza Beauty Cream, Parley Goldie Beauty Cream, and 88 Total White Underarm Cream. All eight samples tested positive for mercury, with levels ranging from 5,700 parts per million (ppm) to as high as 24,900 ppm—far exceeding the 1 ppm limit set by the ASEAN Cosmetics Directive.
According to ZMWG, mercury compounds are commonly added to SLPs because they lighten the skin by suppressing melanin production, despite well-documented health risks. The World Health Organization has recognized mercury in certain SLPs as a “major public health concern.”
The US FDA has warned that exposure to mercury can have serious health consequences. “The danger isn’t just to people who use mercury-containing products but also to their families. When you use these products, your family might breathe mercury vapors or become exposed through contaminated washcloths or towels.”
Signs of mercury poisoning include irritability, shyness, tremors, changes in vision or hearing, memory problems, depression, and numbness or tingling in the hands, feet, or around the mouth.
“Social media platforms and online shopping sites must safeguard the public from prohibited beauty products that pose health risks. They should proactively take down these listings and take responsibility once and for all,” said Thony Dizon, Advocacy and Campaign Officer of BAN Toxics.
BAN Toxics urges online sellers and content creators to exercise caution when posting or uploading content related to banned skin-lightening products.
The group further calls on social media platforms and online shopping sites to comply with existing regulations on mercury-added beauty products and to commit to upholding product standards and consumer safety.
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