Quezon City. The toxics watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition again urged e-commerce sites to rid their platforms of dangerous skin lighteners contaminated with mercury, a highly toxic chemical prohibited for use as an ingredient in cosmetic products.
The group repeated its call following the discovery of mercury in eight out of 11 skin lightening cosmetics obtained from Indonesia-based online sellers for P65 to P121 each.
“Our investigation shows that poison comes in small and poorly labeled packages with no market authorization,” said Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition, noting the levels of mercury adulteration of the analyzed unregistered products in petite containers with incomplete and incomprehensible to zero labeling information. “Consumers should be cautious of these red flags,” she said, stressing that “the easiest way to protect ourselves from such poisonous cosmetics is to embrace our natural skin tone and refrain from using skin whitening products.”
“Administrators of e-commerce and social media sites need to act decisively to stop the use of their platforms to advertise and peddle hazardous cosmetics with mercury,” Lucero pointed out. “Regulators need to flex their muscles to put an end to this toxic trade, and uphold the health and safety of the people and the environment.”
With the aid of a handheld X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyzer, the EcoWaste Coalition detected mercury ranging from 384 to 7,043 parts per million (ppm) in eight of the products in clear violation of the mercury ban under the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive, as well as the Minamata Convention on Mercury.
Temulawak Beauty Whitening Cream (night cream) was found to contain 7,043 ppm of mercury; SP Herbal Mint Day/Night with 2,222 ppm; SP UV Special Ginseng Whitening & Anti-Acne 1,804 ppm; New Special 99 Whitening Cream 889 ppm; Temulawak Beauty Whitening Cream (day & night cream) 648 ppm; unlabeled product (white cream) 600 ppm; L-Sky Glow 564 ppm; and another unlabeled product (yellow cream) with 384 ppm.
Yuyun Ismawati, Co-Founder and Senior Adviser of Nexus3 and Co-Chair of the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), said: “Temulawak brand has been tested by our network many times for over ten years. When high concentration of mercury is found in any facial cream, it is certain that it was intentionally added and not only a trace from the raw materials such as fresh or harvested cucurma. When confiscated by law enforcement officers, including from the Indonesian FDA or BPOM, it is crucial to treat the cream as hazardous waste and need to be treated properly.”
”Unfortunately, Indonesia has its own cinnabar mining in Seram Island. The illegal cinnabar mining sites as the source of mercury has to be shut down and the Indonesian government must be consistent with their commitment to end the mercury trade as launched in the Bali Declaration at the 4th Conference of the Parties of the Minamata Convention on Mercury.”
This is not the first time that the EcoWaste Coalition found mercury in skin lightening cosmetics purchased from online dealers in Indonesia. Last year, the group bought and analyzed Dr. Gold Super Quality +SPF30; Fair & Lovely Day & Night Cream; La Bella Day Cream; and La Bella Night Cream and found them adulterated with mercury. In response to the report filed by the group, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued public health warnings against the purchase and use of the said products.
According to health experts, the application of mercury-laden skin lightening products could lead to blotching, discoloration and rashes. Chronic exposure to mercury can damage the renal, digestive and nervous systems, as mercury can be absorbed through the skin. In severe cases, kidney failure can occur. Symptoms may manifest as numbness, hand tremors, insomnia, irritability, loss of memory, hearing and vision impairment, and alterations in taste.
While negative for mercury, the safety of the three other products (Cream Ketiak, Cream Leher and Herbal Plus Day & Night Cream) from other forms of contamination that can also endanger human health cannot be ascertained.
Lee Bell, Technical and Policy Advisor of IPEN, said: “The use of mercury in cosmetics exposes our communities to immediate health risks and such products must be eliminated from all sales platforms. The most efficient way to shut down online sales of these dangerous products is to take a regional approach to regulation and enforcement with bilateral and multilateral cooperation by customs officials in the ASEAN region.”
“Prohibition of elemental mercury imports in ASEAN countries will deny rogue producers of mercury-added cosmetics their raw materials and banning exports and sales of such cosmetics will close the loop. Clearly current enforcement activities are insufficient to stop the flow of these products and the time is right to coordinate enforcement on a multilateral basis, share intelligence about this illegal trade and shut it down permanently,” he emphasized.
The EcoWaste Coalition and Nexus3 are participating organizations of IPEN, a global network of public interest organizations improving chemical policies and raising awareness to ensure that hazardous substances are no longer produced, used, or disposed of in ways that harm human health and the environment.
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