Mercury-containing skin lightening products continue to be sold online despite health dangers, ZMWG warns

04 Apr 2022 --- New research has flagged that almost 50% of skin lightening products (SLPs) sold in major online retail channels have high mercury levels, despite mercury’s harmful properties. The significance of this discovery has prompted responses from e-commerce giants including Amazon, eBay and Flipkart – whose skincare product offerings were implicated.

The analysis was published by the Zero Mercury Working Group (ZMWG), an international coalition of more than 95 public interest environmental and non-governmental health organizations

Daily exposure to mercury can lower the skin’s resistance to bacterial and fungal infections, causing rashes, discoloration and blotching. Long-term exposure can harm the eyes, lungs, kidneys, digestive, immune and nervous systems, among other organs.

The global market for SLPs is expected to reach US$11.8 billion by 2026, up from US$8.8 billion in 2022.

The investigation by ZMWG included an analysis of SLPs supplied by over 40 online platforms. Of the 271 SLPs tested, 129 were found to have mercury levels over one part per million (ppm).

All cosmetics should be labeled by national rules in the countries where SLPs are sold. ZMWG notes that all cosmetics should have comprehensive ingredient disclosure requirements.

Furthermore, labeling should contain accurate information on the ingredients, producer, address and manufacturing country. In the target country, the labeling language must be understandable.

E-commerce giants respond
According to ZMWG, Amazon, eBay and Flipkart were among the online retailers that sold SLPs that contain mercury.

“All marketplace sellers must follow our selling guidelines and those who don’t will be subject to action, including potential removal of their account. The products in question are no longer available,” says Amazon UK.

However, Amazon India maintained that third-party sellers are exclusively responsible for sales on its platform, indicating a lack of regulatory supervision.

“The products offered for sale on the Marketplace are always owned and sold by the seller at any time (and not by Amazon.) Every seller owns the products and independently offers them for sale on the Marketplace in their own right. The sellers are themselves responsible for ensuring all compliance under applicable laws.”Long-term exposure to SLPs with mercury can harm the eyes, lungs, kidneys, digestive, immune and nervous systems.

Lastly, an eBay spokesperson confirmed the removal of the products in question and “was taking enforcement action against the sellers.”

“We have key partnerships and processes with product manufacturers and regulators to ensure a safe shopping experience,” says Ashley Settle, an eBay spokesperson.

Health concerns of mercury in SLPs
Mercury-containing SLPs have been shown to have serious health and well-being consequences, ZMWG states.

The organization highlights that SLP demand continues to rise globally, particularly in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. More than half of people in some populations use SLPs regularly. According to one meta-analysis, 27.7% of people try to lighten their skin at some point.

Several of the symptoms linked with mercury exposure are not unique to mercury. Determining the source of health consequences without first ruling out SLPs as a possible cause and then testing the suspect goods.

The use of mercury-laced SLPs by an adult can expose other family members, such as through close touch, and may require home decontamination, they say

Lack of regulations for online retail
The ZMWG report details that in most nations, the current legal, regulatory system fails to sufficiently safeguard consumers against dangerous, counterfeit, and illegal products marketed on the internet. One of the main reasons for this failure is that many nations’ national laws allow online platforms to avoid responsibility for the products offered on their sites.

This lack of accountability reduces incentives for platforms to maintain product safety, resulting in, at best, episodic voluntary attempts to remove illicit products off a platform – efforts that are inefficient at safeguarding consumers and are short-lived. The dangers of using internet platforms have long been known, and they go far beyond mercury-added SLPs.

As a result, policymakers and courts are increasingly questioning a legal framework that fails to safeguard consumers sufficiently. Furthermore, because of a lack of enforcement, international cooperation, and insufficient resources allocated to this issue, the illicit production and trade of mercury-added SLPs continue to occur.

The analysis shows that mercury-added SLPs are still widely available worldwide, whether purchased online or in local markets, concludes ZMWG.

Edited by Nicole Kerr