FDA-Flagged Thai Skincare Products with Mercury Content Still Sold Online
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| Despite the public health warnings by health authorities, consumers can still buy mercury-containing Dr. Yahnee skincare cosmetics from online dealers. |
27 March 2025, Quezon City. The toxics watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition criticized the continued online sale of mercury-containing Thai skincare cosmetics despite being flagged by health product regulators in the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore.
Exposure to mercury in cosmetics poses serious health risks, including kidney damage, neurological issues and skin problems such as uneven color, rashes and scarring, and can also put the whole household at risk of mercury poisoning, the group warned.
The group commented online shopping giants Lazada and Shopee may not be doing enough to halt third-party entrepreneurs from using their platforms to sell non-compliant products flagged by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Thailand and the Philippines, and Singapore's Health Sciences Authority (HSA).
The group specifically cited the nonsuccess of both Lazada and Shopee to stop the sale of Dr. Yahnee, Goree and other mercury-containing cosmetics despite their policies against listing banned items. Shopee disallows "all FDA warned products" on its platform, while Lazada bars "prohibited and controlled goods."
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| A representative from FDA Thailand receives the NGO petition demanding action to stop mercury-added cosmetics from being produced and traded. |
To recall, FDA Thailand, in response to a petition submitted in 2023 by the EcoWaste Coalition and its advocacy partners Ecological Alert and Recovery-Thailand, Foundation for Consumers and IPEN-Southeast and East Asia, banned four variants of Dr. Yahnee skincare sets and other products reported for containing mercury, as well as other substances not permitted in cosmetics.
The HSA then issued an alert in 2024 to raise awareness among consumers regarding unsafe products such as Dr. Yahnee and others tested by FDA Thailand and found to contain mercury and other potent ingredients.
FDA Philippines followed suit banning Dr. Yahnee for being sold without valid certificates of product notification in violation of Republic Act No. 9711, or the FDA Act of 2009.
Despite the regulatory measures taken by Thailand, the exporting country, and the Philippines, the importing country, plus the alert issued by Singapore, the unlawful manufacture and trade of mercury-containing Dr. Yahnee products has not ceased, the EcoWaste Coalition lamented.
The uninterrupted production, export and import of mercury-added cosmetics, facial creams in particular, has persisted despite regional and global bans, the group noted.
Under the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive (ACD), mercury is not allowed as an ingredient in cosmetic products. The ACD further sets a trace amount limit of one part per million (ppm) for mercury as a heavy metal contaminant in cosmetics.
On the other hand, the Minamata Convention on Mercury provided for a 2020 phase-out target for several mercury-added products, including skin lightening creams, lotions and soaps. The fifth Conference of the Parties amended the treaty text to explicitly ban the manufacture, export and import of mercury-containing cosmetics.
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| Environmental health advocate Chinkie Peliño-Golle draws attention to the continued trade of mercury-containing cosmetics despite the global ban. |
Nationally, the importation, distribution and sale of unauthorized cosmetics laden with mercury contravenes the country's health and consumer protection laws, as well as the customs and tariff law, the EcoWaste Coalition said.
To address the persistent problem with mercury-containing cosmetics and protect public health and the environment, the group renewed its call on duty-bearers, especially the customs, trade, health, local government and police authorities, to undertake joint law enforcement and related activities, including charging violators.
The EcoWaste Coalition also reiterated its call on all Filipinos to embrace our inherent skin color and resist the discriminatory and racist notion equating attractiveness, cleanliness and success with the whiteness of one's skin, stressing "natural is beautiful."
References:
https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/330015/WHO-CED-PHE-EPE-19.13-eng.pdf?sequence=1https://gsp.lazada.com/gsp/helpcenter/lazada-community-guidelines-15416.html
https://seller.shopee.ph/edu/article/698
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