Public health watchdog BAN Toxics warned consumers on Tuesday, March 3, against purchasing mercury-added skin whitening products being sold in beauty shops and on e-commerce platforms.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene and Goree Day & Night Beauty Cream, priced between ₱180 and ₱200 each.
Despite the standing ban, these products remain available in beauty shops in Malabon, Pasay, and Valenzuela, as well as on major online shopping platforms.
Using a Vanta C Series Handheld XRF Analyzer, experts detected mercury concentrations reaching 28,800 parts per million (ppm) — far exceeding the 1 ppm limit set by the ASEAN Cosmetics Directive (ACD).
The Zero Mercury Working Group (ZMWG), operating under BAN Toxics, has investigated mercury-containing skin-lightening products (SLPs) for many years due to their health risks and illegality under global laws.
These products violate the Minamata Convention on Mercury, a 2013 international treaty that became fully effective in 2021 to protect human health from toxic mercury exposure.
In 2025, ZMWG published a report on the continued illegal manufacture of mercury-laced skin whitening products.
The group, composed of members from Pakistan, Kenya, the Philippines, and the United States, purchased and tested samples from six major brands: Faiza, Golden Pearl, Goree, Aneeza, Parley, and Face Fresh.
Results showed that 35 out of 37 creams contained mercury, with one product reaching 24,000 ppm—thousands of times higher than the legal limit of 1 ppm under the ACD.
Accredited laboratories in the European Union and the United States conducted the testing.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mercury exposure in women can cause serious neurological, reproductive, and developmental damage.
BAN Toxics advocacy and campaign officer Thony Dizon emphasized that the illegal sale of banned skin-lightening products is alarming and dangerous, especially for women and children.
The group monitored major online platforms such as Lazada and Shopee, where banned Goree products continue to be marketed.
“We call on both the FDA and the DTI to expedite their regulatory and enforcement functions to prevent the further sale and use of prohibited skin-lightening products, ensure consumer protection, and prevent exposure to toxic mercury,” ZMWG stated.
BAN Toxics also urged legislators to pass stricter laws protecting public health and the environment from hazardous chemicals in cosmetics, vowing to remain vigilant in monitoring the market. (Odra Villarez)
