Toxic Black Eyeliner Powder Banned in Germany, Sold in PH

Despite being banned in Germany, US and several other countries, Hashmi kohl and surma eyeliners are sold locally, posing lead poisoning risks.

29 January 2026, Quezon City. An eyeliner powder containing toxic lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and antimony, which has been recalled from end users and subsequently destroyed in Germany, is on sale in Quiapo, Manila, for P250 per unit.

The toxics watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition made this revelation after Germany banned Hashmi Surma/Kohl Asmar for non-compliance with the European Union’s Cosmetics Products Regulation.

According to the German notification published on January 21, 2026, at EU Safety Gate, the EU rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products, the black eyeliner powder contains excessive levels of chemicals banned in cosmetic products.

The product contains 495,700 mg/kg of lead; 1,060 mg/kg of arsenic; 231 mg/kg of antimony, 30.2 mg/kg of cadmium, and 0.875 mg/kg of mercury, the notification said.

As summarized in the notification, these chemicals pose serious threats to public health:

• “Lead is harmful to human health, accumulates in the body, and may affect breast-fed or unborn children.”
• “Mercury accumulates in the body and can damage the kidneys, brain, and nervous system, and may affect reproduction and the unborn child.
• “Cadmium is harmful to human health because it accumulates in the body, can damage the kidneys and bones, and may cause cancer.”
• “Arsenic may cause cancer, may damage fertility or the unborn child, cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure.”
• “Antimony can irritate the skin.”

To recall, the EcoWaste Coalition alerted consumers and health product regulators in 2014 about the sale of traditional kohl or surma eyeliners containing high amounts of lead. The group again drew attention to the toxicity of such eyeliners in 2018 after three children in Australia suffered from lead poisoning due to the use of such products. In 2024, the group again pushed for a ban on such eyeliners following a study by the Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP), which found 125,688 mg/kg of lead on a Hashmin eyeliner.

Toxic Hashmi eyeliner on sale in Quiapo, Manila

Last year, the group purchased a Hashmi Surma/Kohl Asmar in Quiapo and found it contaminated with over 100,000 mg/kg of lead; 6,410 mg/kg of arsenic; and 309 mg/kg of cadmium.

With Germany's latest action, the EcoWaste Coalition again requested the Philippine FDA to prohibit the importation, distribution, and sale of Hashmi eyeliners and related unauthorized eye cosmetics, which are also sold on online shopping platforms.

To protect the public, the children in particular, the EcoWaste Coalition repeated the following safety tips from the US FDA:

1. "Stop using the product immediately and be especially careful to protect children from further exposure."
2. "Ask a healthcare provider to test children as well as pregnant or nursing women for lead poisoning if they have used the product."

References:

https://ec.europa.eu/safety-gate-alerts/screen/webReport/alertDetail/10097251?lang=en
https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetic-products/kohl-kajal-al-kahal-surma-tiro-tozali-or-kwalli-any-name-beware-lead-poisoning