Environmental Health Groups Seek FDA-Thailand’s Action to Stop Export of Cosmetics Containing Mercury
27 January 2025, Quezon City. Environmental health groups advocating for the protection of people’s health and the environment from mercury-containing cosmetics today urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Government of Thailand to take bold measures to halt the export of skin lightening products containing this highly toxic chemical.
Through a letter emailed to Dr. Paisarn Dunkum (Secretary General, FDA) and Mrs. Supawadee Teerawatsakul (Director, Bureau of Cosmetics and Hazardous Substances Control, FDA), the EcoWaste Coalition - Philippines, the Ecological Alert and Recovery – Thailand (EARTH), and the International Pollutants Elimination Network – Southeast & East Asia (IPEN-SEA) appealed to the Thai health authorities to find and charge the culprits behind the illegal trade of mercury-containing cosmetics.
“In the interest of protecting consumers against the adverse impacts of using cosmetics adulterated with mercury, we appeal to the FDA Thailand to conduct a crackdown on the manufacturers, exporters, distributors and retailers, including online sellers, of cosmetics with mercury content,” the groups said.
“Law enforcement action at all levels is urgently required to put the global ban on mercury cosmetics into practice,” they insisted. To recall, the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury in 2023 decided to delete the one part per million (ppm) mercury threshold for cosmetics and set 2025 as the global phase-out date for mercury-added cosmetics such as skin lightening creams and soaps.
The groups’ appeal for action was triggered by the EcoWaste Coalition’s recent discovery of five “made in Thailand” skin lightening products with mercury content that are sold to Filipino consumers through e-commerce sites.
Despite the prohibition on mercury use under the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive, as well as the Minamata Convention on Mercury, the Quezon City-based group easily obtained from online sellers five adulterated cosmetics with mercury content ranging from 584 ppm to 6,109 ppm, including Aura White Night Cream Intensive Whitening Facial Cream, Meyyong Ra (Seaweed) Extra Whitening & Facelift, Pumepine Total White Underarm Cream, Q-nic Care Whitening Underarm Cream, and Q-nic Care Whitening Night Cream.
Acting on the reports filed by the EcoWaste Coalition, two of the above products, Q-nic Care Whitening Underarm Cream and Q-nic Care Whitening Night Cream, were subsequently banned by FDA Philippines last December 2024.
The groups likewise urged the FDA-Thailand to publish an updated list of banned cosmetics containing mercury and other hazardous substances and for the agency to use the ASEAN Post-Marketing Alert System (PMAS) platform to spread the necessary information to guide regulators, businesses and consumers of member states on which products not to trade, sell and/or use.
This is the second time that the EcoWaste Coalition, EARTH and IPEN-SEA have jointly sought the help of FDA-Thailand in curbing the illegal trade of dangerous cosmetics with mercury in the region.
In 2023, the three groups, plus the Foundation For Consumers (FFC), notified FDA-Thailand about the online sale of Thai cosmetics with mercury content ranging from 3,042 ppm to 44,540 ppm.
Confirmatory tests conducted by FDA-Thailand verified the presence of mercury in the products reported. Some of the samples were also found to contain controlled ingredients in prescription medicines that are not allowed in cosmetics, including betamethasone, hydroquinone, and retinoic acid, which are used for the treatment of certain skin conditions and which should only be used under strict medical supervision.
FDA-Thailand eventually banned the 12 adulterated cosmetics, including Lady Gold Seaweed Gluta/Super Gluta Brightening, five variants of Dr. Yanhee (also called "Mhor Yanhee"), two variants of Dr. Wuttisak (also known as "Mhor Wutti sak") , Meyyong Seaweeds Super Whitening, Polla Gold Super White Perfects, 88 Whitening Night Cream, and Snow White Armpit Whitening Underarm Cream, which the environmental health groups duly commended. However, some of these banned products are still sold online. Thus, the need to improve and intensify compliance monitoring.
Encouraged by the successful regional African meeting held last week in Libreville, Gabon, the EcoWaste Coalition, EARTH and IPEN-SEA further expressed their support for a similar gathering to be held in Asia to advance the elimination of mercury-added cosmetics and protect human health and the ecosystems. The said meeting led to the adoption of the historic “Libreville Commitment,” which “calls for regional collaboration to foster stronger regulations, enhanced enforcement measures, and public awareness campaigns to combat these harmful products.”
References:
https://ipen.org/news/
https://minamataconvention.
https://minamataconvention.
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