EcoWaste Coalition Applauds FDA for Banning Cosmetics Banned in Indonesia for Containing Mercury
2 October 2024, Quezon City. The toxics watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition has commended the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for issuing another advisory against mercury-containing skin lightening products from Indonesia that promise to “make the face white and radiant.”
“We commend the FDA for releasing an advisory warning Filipino consumers about the risks of using these imported skin lighteners which were among those already prohibited by FDA’s counterpart agency in Indonesia for containing banned ingredients like mercury,” said Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition.
"The advisory should serve as a fresh reminder to consumers not to use unauthorized cosmetics, those with labeling information in a language they cannot understand (Bahasa Indonesia in this case), and the potential of exposure to mercury and other harmful contaminants and the consequences of continued use," she added.
The group was referring to La Bella Day Cream and La Bella Night Cream, which are included in the list of 181 cosmetics banned by the Indonesian Food and Drug Authority (BPOM) for containing mercury and other hazardous materials. The updated list was released in December 2023.
Last September 17, the FDA issued Advisory No. 2024-1347 warning consumers not to purchase and use La Bella Set, consisting of La Bella Day Cream, La Bella Night Cream and La Bella Transparent Whitening Beauty Soap, which are being sold to consumers without proper authorization from the FDA. The advisory was posted on the FDA website on September 30.
The use of unauthorized cosmetic products such as the La Bella Set “may pose health risks to consumers,” the FDA warned. “Potential hazards may come from ingredients that are not allowed to be part of a cosmetic product or from the contamination of heavy metals.” Mercury is a heavy metal prohibited as a cosmetic ingredient, and which must not be deliberately added to a cosmetic product.
According to its labeling information in Bahasa Indonesia, the La Bella products are “made from natural ingredients” and can “whiten the face,” “remove black spots,” “get rid of pimples and acne scars,” ”shrink pores,” “tighten the face,” and “make the face white and radiant.”
To recall, the EcoWaste Coalition last July 4 bought samples of La Bella Day Cream, La Bella Night Cream, Dr. Gold Super Quality +SPF30, Fair & Lovely Day & Night Cream, and Collagen Plus Vit E Day & Night Cream from an online seller at Shopee Philippines.
The products subsequently screened positive for mercury above the one part per million (ppm) limit under the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive. For instance, La Bella Day Cream was found to contain 245 ppm of mercury, and La Bella Night Cream with 400 ppm. A portable X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) device was used to screen the items for mercury.
After finding the products adulterated with mercury, the group alerted the FDA through a letter sent on July 10 and requested the agency to issue a public health warning against the said products, as well as other BPOM-banned mercury cosmetics being sold in some online and physical stores.
The FDA conducted the necessary post-marketing surveillance and found the products being offered for sale online without valid certificates of product notification, which is illegal under Republic Act No. 9711, or the Food and Drug Administration Act of 2009.
Accordingly, the FDA issued Advisory No. 2024-1179 against Fair & Lovely Day & Night Cream, Advisory No. 2024-1334 against Dr. Gold Super Quality +SPF30, and Advisory No. 2024-1347 against La Bella Set warning healthcare professionals and the general public from purchasing these violative cosmetic products.
In the said advisories, the FDA also advised the public to first check if a product is authorized with the FDA by using the FDA Verification Portal, which can be accessed at https://verification.fda.gov.
Concerned establishments were duly warned not to distribute violative cosmetic products until they have fully complied with the rules and regulations of the FDA. The agency’s Regional Field Offices and Regulatory Enforcement Units were also requested to ensure that violative products are not sold or made available in the market or areas of their jurisdiction in coordination with concerned law enforcement agencies and local government units.
“Mercury-containing skin lightening products are hazardous to health,” warned the World Health Organization (WHO). According to the WHO, “adverse health effects of the inorganic mercury contained in skin lightening creams and soaps include: kidney damage, skin rashes, skin discoloration and scarring, reduction in the skin’s resistance to bacterial and fungal infections , anxiety, depression, psychosis and peripheral neuropathy.”
References:
https://www.fda.gov.ph/wp-
https://www.fda.gov.ph/wp-
https://www.fda.gov.ph/wp-
https://www.who.int/
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