EcoWaste Coalition Exposes Illegal Trade of Mercury-Laced Skin Whitening Cosmetics in Pasay City

The toxics watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition today exposed the rampant sale of imported mercury-containing skin whitening products in Pasay City in clear violation of consumer protection and health laws.

The products, which are not notified with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are therefore not authorized to be placed and sold in the local market, contain mercury above the trace amount limit of one part per million as per the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive (ACD).

The group made the exposé following test buys conducted on September 7 at the Baclaran Terminal Plaza Mall,  Taft Ave. Extension and Baclaran Bagong Milenyo Plaza, F.B. Harrison St. Extension, Pasay City.

According to the chemical screening performed by the group using a handheld X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) device, Parley Beauty Cream had 12,400 ppm of mercury, Golden Pearl Beauty Cream (gold box) had 11,400 ppm, Golden Pearl Beauty Cream (yellow box) had 10,100 ppm and Morning Face Beauty Cream had 5,254 ppm. These products were manufactured in Pakistan as indicated on their labels.

The FDA banned Parley Beauty Cream and Golden Pearl Beauty Cream (yellow box) in 2019 and 2014, respectively, for containing violative levels of mercury and for lacking the required cosmetic product notifications.  The other two products are not yet included in the FDA list of proscribed mercury-added cosmetics.

Aside from the four products, the EcoWaste Coalition also found other prohibited products being sold over the counter in the said malls, including Collagen Plus Vit E Day & Night Cream and Goree Beauty Cream, both of which were banned by the FDA in 2017.

“We call upon the local authorities led by Mayor Imelda Calixto-Rubiano to assist the national government in enforcing the ban on poisonous cosmetics laden with mercury that can seriously harm users and even non-users of the product, as well as pollute the environment,” requested Thony Dizon, Chemical Safety Campaigner, EcoWaste Coalition.

The requested action by the local government will concretely support the implementation of the country’s "National Action Plan for the Phase-out of Mercury-Added Products and the Management of Associated Mercury-Containing Wastes," the group emphasized.

“Removing these smuggled products in the local market will also help in advancing the objective of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which the government recently ratified, of protecting human health and the environment from manmade emissions and releases of mercury and its compounds,” Dizon added.

Mercury, a poisonous substance that attacks the brain and the central nervous system, the kidneys and the renal system, the heart and the cardiovascular system as well as the endocrine system, is not permitted as an ingredient in cosmetics products as per the ACD.

According to FDA-issued advisories: "Adverse health effects brought about by highly toxic mercury in cosmetic products include kidney damage, skin rashes, discoloration and scarring.  Chronic use reduces the skin's normal resistance against bacterial and fungal infections." Other effects, according to the FDA, include anxiety, depression or psychosis and peripheral neuropathy.

The FDA has likewise warned that "the transfer of mercury to fetuses of pregnant women may manifest as neurodevelopment deficits later in life."

As mercury-added products, including cosmetics, should not be merely landfilled or incinerated, the EcoWaste Coalition reminded the local government to coordinate with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for the environmentally sound management of seized contraband cosmetics laden with mercury.

The EcoWaste Coalition has already notified the Pasay City Government about this public health matter.

Reference:
https://www.fda.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/FDA-Advisory-No.-2019-074.pdf
https://ww2.fda.gov.ph/index.php/advisories-2/cosmetic-2/472052-fda-advisory-no-2017-289
https://ww2.fda.gov.ph/index.php/advisories-2/cosmetic-2/475039-fda-advisory-no-2017-314)
https://ww2.fda.gov.ph/index.php/advisories-2/cosmetic-2/195942-fda-advisory-no-2013-053-a)