TOXICS watchdog BAN Toxics commended the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for issuing public health advisories on the following skin-lightening creams: 88 Whitening Night Cream and Best Beauty Cream, due to the presence of mercury, a known toxicant.
“The health warning by the regulatory agency should not be disregarded by sellers and users of beauty products containing mercury. We must comply to prevent exposure to health-damaging chemicals,” said Thony Dizon, Toxics Campaigner of BAN Toxics.
BAN Toxics has been monitoring both on-site and online markets for SLPs that are prohibited and/or banned in the country. On November 13, the group reported findings from 50 SLPs purchased online and screened using a Vanta C Series XRF Handheld Chemical Analyzer. The results showed that 44 of the samples tested positive for mercury, with levels ranging from 7 parts per million (ppm) to 67,400 ppm.
Among the samples tested were the Best Beauty Cream, which contains 42,000 ppm of mercury, and the 88 Whitening Night Cream, which has a concentration of 2,390 ppm, both far exceeding the 1 ppm limit set by the ASEAN Cosmetics Directive and the Minamata Convention.
“Despite the FDA advisories, these beauty products continue to prevail in online markets. They must be strictly removed, and online shopping platforms should take this issue seriously, as failing to do so puts public health at risk,” the group added.
The group has monitored more than 80 listings of the two aforementioned creams on Lazada and Shopee.
Last year, BAN Toxics contributed to a report by the Zero Mercury Working Group (ZMWG) on SLPs sold by some of the world’s largest online retailers. The report provides evidence that hazardous SLPs remain widely available across the global market. Despite being banned by a global treaty, mercury-added SLPs are still sold to unsuspecting consumers.
Mercury is listed by the World Health Organization as one of the top chemicals of major health concern due to its toxic nature and adverse effects on human health and the environment. Exposure to mercury and its compounds can damage the nervous, digestive, and immune systems and may even cause death in some cases.
The group further urges online shopping platforms to implement measures to prevent the sale of prohibited and/or banned SLPs and to comply with regulations against toxic mercury in the country.
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