EcoWaste Coalition Urges FDA-Cebu to Stop Sale of Banned Mercury Cosmetics Sold Under Their Noses

(Dangerous cosmetics sold with impunity in at least 48 retail kiosks and shops)

25 June 2024, Quezon City.  The toxics watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition has put the regional office of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Central Visayas to task for the unchecked trade of banned mercury cosmetics, particularly in Cebu, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, and Naga Cities, as well as in the Municipality of Minglanilla.

“Our latest market investigation confirms the blatant sale of FDA-banned skin lightening products with mercury in retail kiosks and shops offering cosmetics and health supplements, particularly in Colon and adjacent streets,” said Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition.

“Many of these defiant stores are a stone’s throw from the FDA Regional Field Office (RFO) in Cebu City,” she said. “It’s not difficult at all to spot these banned products, which are prominently displayed on the shelves.”

“We therefore call upon the FDA in Region 7 to embark on a law enforcement action in close coordination with the local government and police authorities,” she said, “to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury exposure.”

The FDA Center for Cosmetics and Household/Urban Hazardous Substances Regulation and Research (CCHUHSRR) has already received the report from the EcoWaste Coalition, which it quickly endorsed to the Field Regulatory Operations Office (FROO), Visayas Cluster, and the RFO “for monitoring and appropriate action.”

Based on the monitoring conducted by the group on June 22 to 24 following its successful poisoning prevention seminar in Cebu City, at least 48 retail kiosks and shops are engaged in the illegal trade of FDA-banned cosmetics with mercury in Cebu, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, and Naga Cities and the Municipality of Minglanilla.

23 of these errant stores are located in Cebu City of which 10 are doing business at 138 Mall and four at Elizabeth Mall and nine in various streets of the old business district.

In addition, the group found 10 retail kiosks and shops in Lapu-Lapu City selling mercury cosmetics, six in  Mandaue City, three in Naga City, and six in Minglanilla.

At the time of monitoring, the errant stores were openly selling one or more of these forbidden cosmetics: Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene, Goree Day & Night Beauty Cream, and Goree Gold 24K Beauty Cream from Pakistan, 88 Total White Underarm Cream from Thailand, Jiaoli Miraculous Cream, and S’Zitang 7 Days Specific Eliminating Freckle AB Set from China.

Using contraband cosmetics is considered a health risk because these products have not undergone the required quality and safety verification by the FDA, and because these products have tested positive for mercury, a toxic chemical prohibited in the manufacture of cosmetics.

Under the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive (ACD), the maximum limit for mercury as a heavy metal contaminant is one part per million (ppm).

Chemical screenings conducted by the EcoWaste Coalition in the past have detected extremely high levels of mercury in some of the above FDA-banned cosmetics.

For example, samples of Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene and Goree Day & Night Beauty Cream sent by the EcoWaste Coalition to South Korea for mercury analysis were found to contain 58,400 ppm and 46,900 ppm of mercury, respectively.  The analysis was conducted by the Wonjin Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health (WIOEH).   

The levels of mercury in these adulterated products exceed the 1 ppm limit for mercury as a contaminant in cosmetics under the ACD, as well as the 15 ppm limit for a waste to be considered ‘mercury waste’ under the Minamata Convention on Mercury, the EcoWaste Coalition pointed out.

Mercury, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), can cause skin rashes, scarring, and discoloration; reduced skin’s resistance to bacterial and fungal infections; nervous, renal, and immune system damage; and anxiety, depression, and psychosis. The application of mercury-containing skin lightening products, as pointed out by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), can further contaminate the surrounding environment and contribute to global mercury pollution.

The EcoWaste Coalition is campaigning for the elimination of mercury use in cosmetics such as those that claim to lighten the skin and control ageing.  It is also advocating for “natural is beautiful” to promote people’s acceptance of our inherent skin tone and the recognition that every skin color is beautiful, stressing “we are not defined by our physical looks and the color of our skin.”  (PR)

Reference:

https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-CED-PHE-EPE-19.13