Sweden Bans FDA-Flagged Cosmetic from Pakistan with High Mercury Content

4 May 2025, Quezon City. The toxics watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition again cautioned consumers from purchasing an unauthorized skin lightening product from Pakistan following the issuance of a safety alert by the government of Sweden. The product is similar to the one repeatedly flagged by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Philippines.

According to Alert Number SR/01727/25 issued by the Swedish authorities and published in the European Union's Safety Gate on May 2, 2025, Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene with SPF 30, avocado and aloe vera poses a chemical risk.

"The product contains mercury. Mercury accumulates in the body and can damage the kidneys, brain and nervous system. Additionally, it may affect reproduction and the unborn child," the alert said.

"The product does not comply with the Cosmetic Products Regulation," it said, noting that the imported product was rejected at the border as ordered by the authorities.

In 2017, the FDA tested and found mercury in Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene and Goree Day & Night Whitening Cream prompting it to issue Advisory No. 2017-289.

Several years later, the FDA released Advisories Nos. 2023-2344, 2023-2391 and 2023-2392 warning consumers against the purchase and use of Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene, Goree Day & Night Beauty Cream, and Goree Gold 24K Beauty Cream, which are being sold without authorization from the agency.

Chemical screenings conducted by the EcoWaste Coalition using an X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) device found high concentrations of mercury in FDA-flagged Goree products. Many samples were found adulterated with mercury above 20,000 parts per million (ppm), way above the one ppm limit for mercury as a heavy metal contaminant (not as an ingredient) under the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive.

Aside from the Philippines and Sweden, regulatory agencies in other countries have flagged Goree Beauty Creams for containing mercury, including Brunei, China (Hong Kong), New Zealand, Singapore, UK, and the USA.

As unscrupulous traders continue to defy the ban on Goree Beauty Creams and other flagged products, the EcoWaste Coalition reiterated the need for a solutions-focused multi-stakeholders summit led by the FDA to stop the illegal trade, which goes against the ban on the manufacture, import and export of such mercury-added cosmetics under the Minamata Convention on Mercury.

As the adulterated cosmetics are sourced from abroad, the EcoWaste Coalition called on the government to tighten controls on cosmetic imports, and to reject non-compliant imports at the border like what the Swedish government did

Recognizing the role of local government units in protecting public health, the group urged cities and municipalities to conduct random store inspections, in coordination with FDA's field offices, to ensure that Goree and other dangerous cosmetics are not sold to their constituents.

As Goree and other FDA-flagged products are just a click away, the EcoWaste Coalition appealed to the administrators of e-commerce and social media platforms to act with resolve to disallow the use of their facilities to peddle hazardous commodities.

"We will continue to raise awareness about the dangers of mercury in cosmetics, reject colorism and promote acceptance and respect for natural skin color, and push for actions at all levels to eliminate these poisonous cosmetics ," the EcoWaste Coalition said.

References:

https://ec.europa.eu/safety-gate-alerts/screen/webReport/alertDetail/10094255?lang=en
https://www.fda.gov.ph/fda-advisory-no-2023-2392-public-health-warning-against-the-purchase-and-use-of-unauthorized-cosmetic-goree-24k-gold-beauty-cream/
https://www.fda.gov.ph/fda-advisory-no-2023-2391-public-health-warning-against-the-purchase-and-use-of-unauthorized-cosmetic-goree-day-night-beauty-cream-oil-free-total-fairness-system/
https://www.fda.gov.ph/fda-advisory-no-2023-2344-public-health-warning-against-the-purchase-and-use-of-unauthorized-cosmetic-goree-beauty-cream-with-lycopene-avocado-and-aloe-vera/
https://www.fda.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/FDA-Advisory-No.-2017-289.pdf