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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider EcoWaste calls out online shops for selling mercury-containing skin whitening products

EcoWaste calls out online shops for selling mercury-containing skin whitening products

Published Mar 7, 2022 06:58 pm

Environmental group EcoWaste Coalition (EWC) has called out online shopping giants for selling banned and mercury-containing skin whitening products to female consumers.

The group issued the statement in support of the celebration of the International Women's Month.

photo: EcoWaste Coalition

“Despite supposed policy disallowing the sale of prohibited products and those flagged by health authorities, defiant third-party dealers continue to advertise and sell skin whitening products laden with mercury in online shopping sites,” EWC National Coordinator Aileen Lucero said in a statement on Monday, March 7.

According to Ateneo Center for Research and Innovation Environmental Health Specialist Dr. Geminn Louis, “mercury is a toxic element, and even small amounts of this chemical are hazardous to human health.”

Apostol added that mercury-containing products might affect infants’ developing brain and nervous system and cause neurodevelopmental disorders when used by pregnant women.

To prevent mercury exposure among women, the Minamata Convention on Mercury, an international agreement, entered into force in August 2017. It lists cosmetics such as skin lightening creams and soaps with mercury content above 1 part per million (ppm) among products that should be banned by 2020.

Moreover, the country is a member state of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations subscribed to the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive, which included mercury and its compounds on the “list of substances which must not form part of the composition of cosmetic products” in 2007.

However, EWC experts discovered mercury up to 22,100 ppm in 26 samples bought in online shops using an Olympus Vanta M Series X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyzer recently.

The products from mainland China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Thailand with the highest mercury content were:

Ailke Perfection Salvation Rosy Whitening A+B (22,100 ppm of mercury)

Goree Day & Night Cream (17,850 ppm)

Goree Beauty Cream (17,690 ppm)

Ailke Boost Luster Superior Whitening (14,000 ppm)

Parley Beauty Cream (8,600 ppm)

Feique Herbal Extract Whitening Anti-Freckle Set (6,990 ppm)

Jhalak Beauty Cream (6,400 ppm)

Feique (Lemon. 3-in-1) (6,320 ppm)

Parley Goldie Beauty Cream (6,310 ppm)

Meyyong (Seaweed) Super Whitening Extra Whitening & Face Lift (5,500 ppm)

Feique Papaya Whitening Cream (4,900 ppm)

Golden Pearl Beauty Cream (4,560 ppm)

Collagen Plus Vit E Day & Night Cream (4,150 ppm)

Temulawak Day & Night Cream (3,460 ppm)

Morning Face Beauty Cream (2,940 ppm)

Santen (1,022 ppm)

S’Zitang 10-day Specific Whitening & Spot AB Set (829 ppm)

Jiaoli Miraculous Cream (720 ppm)

The environmental group has reported the results of its investigation to the FDA and urged the agency to issue a new advisory reiterating the ban on the manufacture, importation, distribution, and trade of mercury-containing cosmetics.

“Embrace your natural skin tone and reject chemical whiteners, which tend to reinforce colorism or the discrimination based on skin color,” the EWC and the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) advised female consumers to avoid mercury exposure. Photos:

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