FDA-Flagged Cosmetics with Mercury Content Purchased in Naga City Despite the Ban

FDA-flagged skin lightening products obtained by the EcoWaste Coalition from retail stores in Naga City.

27 January 2026, Quezon City. Imported skin lightening products flagged by the national government for being sold without market authorization or for containing mercury are being sold in Naga City in blatant violation of the law.

“The brazen trade of contraband cosmetics with mercury content in Naga City and other cities and municipalities is a rampant and ongoing issue, with illicit products openly advertised, promoted, and sold in physical and online stores despite regulatory warnings and product bans,” said Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator, EcoWaste. “Prompt and firm intervention by the local authorities will protect residents and ecosystems from mercury pollution.”

In an e-mail sent by the EcoWaste Coalition to former Vice President and now Mayor Leni Robredo on January 21, the group reported to the local chief executive the illicit sale in Naga City of contraband cosmetics, which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned to protect the public from being harmed by mercury through the application of contaminated products promising to lighten the skin tone and fight signs of ageing.

A staff member of the EcoWaste Coalition conducted the rapid market monitoring amid inclement weather conditions after participating in the 1st Naga City Basura Summit, which Mayor Robredo and other stakeholders attended.

FDA-flagged skin lightening products were found on the shelves of at least five beauty product stores on J. Hernandez Avenue, including Pakistan-made Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene, Goree Day & Night Beauty Cream, Goree Gold 24K Beauty Cream, and Thailand-made 88 Total White Underarm Cream.

At one point, the EcoWaste poseur-buyer was asked by a dealer in Naga City if he would like to be a reseller of Goree Beauty Creams!

Toxic mercury in skin lightening products can damage the brain, nervous system, kidneys and the skin itself.

The FDA banned Goree Beauty Creams through multiple public health warnings issued between 2017 and 2025, and 88 Total White in 2021.

According to the X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) chemical screening conducted by the EcoWaste Coalition on the purchased items, Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene contains 27,950 parts per million (ppm) of mercury, while Goree Day & Night Beauty Cream, Goree Gold 24K Beauty Cream, and 88 Total White Underarm Cream contain 27,510 ppm, 26,000 ppm, and 1,725 ppm.

In line with the general welfare provision of the Local Government Code, the group requested that the Naga City Government undertake measures to protect human health and the environment from mercury contamination.

To address this threat to public health and the environment, the Naga City Government was requested to carry out law enforcement activities, including random store inspection and confiscation of banned products and their safe disposal; enact an ordinance (or issue an executive order) banning and penalizing the manufacture, importation, distribution and sale of mercury-containing cosmetics; and to advocate for “Natural Is Beautiful” to discourage use of chemical whiteners and instill appreciation and acceptance of one’s natural skin color.

The EcoWaste Coalition pushes for the vigilant enforcement of the global ban on mercury in cosmetics amid the persistent sale of imported skin lightening products with mercury content.

In their letter to Mayor Robredo, the EcoWaste Coalition emphasized the fact that “mercury is hazardous to human health,” as noted by the World Health Organization (WHO).

As stated by health experts, mercury in skin lightening cosmetics is released during product use, with dermal absorption and inhalation as common exposure routes. It can cause skin discoloration, rashes, and scarring, and it can reduce skin resistance to bacterial and fungal infections.

Repeated applications can harm the kidneys, the brain, and the central nervous system. The use of mercury-containing skin lightening products by pregnant women is of utmost concern as mercury is known to cross the placenta during pregnancy and accumulate in fetal tissues, affecting the developing brain and nervous system of the baby in the womb and causing neuro-developmental disorders.

The EcoWaste Coalition will sustain its market monitoring and other efforts to alert regulators and consumers about the presence of forbidden products with mercury in retail stores and in e-commerce and social media platforms --- to uphold the human right to a healthy and toxics-free environment.