Philippine Group Welcomes Pakistan's Steps to Tighten Cosmetic Product Regulations

Toxics watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition urges Pakistan as party to the Minamata Convention to stop the manufacture and export of dangerous mercury-laden skin lightening products.

16 September 2026, Quezon City. The EcoWaste Coalition, an environmental health group based in the Philippines, welcomed the recent decision by Pakistan’s Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology approving the Pakistan General Cosmetics Bill of 2026 with certain amendments.

“The proposed policy measures strengthening cosmetic regulations in Pakistan are a welcome development, and we hope these get enacted soon," said Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition, which has so far exposed 45 Pakistan-made skin lightening products with outrageous levels of mercury. "Effective enforcement of these measures will be a major win for local and global consumers alike, and will help advance the ban on mercury-added cosmetics under the Minamata Convention on Mercury."

Furthermore, Lucero urged authorities in Pakistan to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the proliferation of mercury-containing skin lightening products despite Standard PS: 3228-2017—set by the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) in 2017—which caps mercury at 1 part per million, pointing out that at least 20 of the toxic creams discovered by the EcoWaste Coalition improperly display the Pakistan Standard Quality Mark.

On September 9, the Committee, under the chairmanship of Senator Kamil Ali Agha, met at the Parliament House in Islamabad to consider the cosmetics bill introduced on August 25 “to establish a regulatory framework for general cosmetics to ensure standardization, certification, labeling, (and) marking to ensure suitability for human use.”

The meeting, attended by Senators Muhammad Aslam Abro, Husna Bano, and Dr. Afnan Ullah Khan, Federal Ministers Khalid Hussain Magsi (Science and Technology) and Muhammad Raza Hayat Harraj (Defence Production), and senior officials from the relevant departments and ministries, discussed the need for an effective regulatory framework to protect the public from unregulated and potentially harmful products.

Following the Federal Cabinet's January 2025 decision to dissolve the Pakistan General Cosmetics Regulatory Authority (PGCRA), established under the Pakistan General Cosmetics Act of 2023, the Senate is advancing a new regulatory framework to govern the country’s cosmetics industry and stop unsafe products from reaching the market.

These Pakistan-made skin lightening products contain high levels of mercury despite the adoption in 2017 of a national standard limiting mercury in cosmetics to not more than one part per million (ppm).

Under the Pakistan General Cosmetics Bill of 2026, the strengthened PGCRA is tasked, among other things, to regulate and monitor all matters relating to the manufacture, import, export, sale and quality of general cosmetics; enforce the standards of general cosmetics as may be prescribed from time to time; grant, renew, suspend or revoke certificates of registration; formulate policies for the development, standardization, regulation and promotion of general cosmetic sector; notify a list of those general cosmetics prohibited for use or which may be used subject to such restrictions and conditions as may be specified in the notification; and facilitate the research and development for advancement, modernization and upgradation of the general cosmetics sector to meet national and international standards.

Unlike the Pakistan General Cosmetics Act of 2023, the 2026 bill includes provisions for registering general cosmetics, granting or refusing certificates of registration, and procedures for inspection, sampling, and seizure.

The 2026 bill also explicitly prohibits the manufacture, distribution, sale, import, or export of any unregistered general cosmetics, the manufacture or sale of sub-standard, spurious, or counterfeit general cosmetics, and the false labeling or misbranding of registered general cosmetics.

Under the bill, violators shall be liable to imprisonment for up to seven years, a fine of up to five million rupees, or both. The premises where violative products are produced, handled, or stored shall be sealed, and the machinery shall also be confiscated.

Mercury in cosmetics marketed to lighten the skin tone is highly toxic and can harm users and their families through inhalation of mercury vapors and contact with contaminated materials.

The EcoWaste Coalition started tracking mercury in skin lightening products in 2011, conducting market investigations, screening products for mercury using its handheld X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyzer, raising awareness of the hazards of mercury in cosmetics to health and the ecosystems, and reporting its findings to national and local authorities for action. A participating organization of the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), the EcoWaste Coalition advocates for a zero waste and toxics-free society.

References:

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1641665383989108&id=100044369866315&rdid=J3XsYKehf454ywFf# (Senate of Pakistan’s post)
https://www.senate.gov.pk/uploads/documents/1787652163_868.pdf (Pakistan General Cosmetics Act of 2026)
https://pakistancode.gov.pk/english/UY2FqaJw1-apaUY2Fqa-apaUY2Npa5pnbA%3D%3D-sg-jjjjjjjjjjjjj (Pakistan General Cosmetics Act of 2023)
https://www.scribd.com/document/805381773/PS-3228-2017 (Pakistan Standard PS: 3228-2017)