NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF SKIN BLEACHING Mercury is a dangerous skin lightening ingredient LAST UPDATED ON 14 DECEMBER 2012 tags: Original Articles by Hessa, filed under Dangerous Skin Lightening Ingredients Some skin lightening ingredients work extremely well in the short-term, but are dangerous to our well-being and the long-term health of our skin. Mercury is one of them. [TIP: For easy navigation, click on the Back button on your browser to return to this list.] History of mercury use in skin lightening creams Mercury absorption into the body and organs via the skin Symptoms of mercury poisoning Essential reading: What to do if you’ve been poisoned by mercury List of skin lightening creams with mercury (updated regularly) Published reports of mercury found in skin creams Common appearance and packaging Unlabeled or homemade products are also suspect Aggressive behavior by online sellers of banned creams Photos of creams with dangerous levels of mercury More about mercury History of mercury use in skin lightening creams The use of mercury in commercial skin bleaching creams and soaps goes back to the early 1900s. Before 1970, commercial bleaching creams would normally use ammoniated mercury to produce a lightening effect on the skin. These bleaching creams were aggressively marketed to black people in the US. In 1976, the use of mercury in cosmetic products was banned in the EU. The US banned the use of mercury in skin bleaching creams much later in 1990. Mercury absorption into the body via the skin Mercury and mercurial compounds can be absorbed into the body by inhalation of the vapors, ingestion, or skin contact. As a poison, the damaging effects of mercury are subtle and cumulative, building up over time. When absorbed, mercury has been discovered in blood, urine, bile, sweat, saliva, milk, and in pus on the surface of ulcers. It has also been discovered in the solids after death, in the brain, the bones, the cellular tissue, in serous membranes, in the parts close to the joints, and in the lungs and liver. Mercury’s effects on the skin and overall health (symptoms of mercury poisoning / excessive mercury) Mercury can be extremely effective in lightening dark spots and stubborn pigmentation but has a high spontaneous remission rate (in a number of people, the original pigmentation returns once the treatment is stopped). The symptoms of mercury poisoning include emotional disturbances, unsteadiness, inflammation of the mouth and gums, general fatigue, memory loss, forgetfulness and headaches. It may also lead to kidney damage. Excess mercury in the system has been known to cause kidney problems (membranous nephropathy) Skin contact with mercury compounds can lead to irritation, including patches of inflammation and the appearance of tiny bumps close together. These bumps may burst and discharge matter, which later crusts over leading to soreness and discomfort. Essential Reading: What to do if you’ve been poisoned by mercury Current skin lightening creams containing dangerous levels of mercury While the use of mercury in skin lightening creams have been banned for some time now, they are still produced and sold in lightly-regulated markets. Below is a list of known skin lightening creams that contain dangerous levels of mercury (more than 1 ppm or one part per million). The list of creams below are just the ones that I’ve found, so it’s not an inclusive list. I update this list regularly. If you know of a cream that has tested positive for mercury, let me know in the comments section below. Brite Face Cream (link to article) Due Whitening Cream Wiana Whitening Cream Feique Whitening Anti-Freckle Cream (link to article) Feique Golden Aloe Whitening Anti-Scar, Anti-Freckle Set Feique Green Tea Vital Whitening Freckle Removing Cream Bai Li Tou Hong (has 46,700 ppm of mercury!) Maidaifu Herbal Moisturizing and Whitening Cream (60,800 ppm of mercury!) Green Cucumber and Ginseng 6 Days Specific Eliminating Freckle Whitening Set Loreial Paris Anti-Freckle Cream Yudantang Ginseng and Ganoderma Lucidum 6 Days Specific Eliminating Freckle Whitening Sun Block Cream Aichun Beauty Green Tea Whitening Speckle Removing Series (3-in-1) Aichun Beauty Strongly Whitening Freckle Series (3-in-1) Aichun Beauty Pawpaw Whitening and Freckle Remover Series (3-in-1) Yuchun Hanfang (link to article) Tongrentang Yisheng Whitening and Freckle Removal Cream (link to article) Hua Ma ABC – Hua Ma Day Cream and Hua Ma Night Cream (link to article) Jiaoli (link with more information and pictures and 2007 FDA import alert on Jiaoli from PetitpriZes) Other names Jiaoli 7-Day Specific Eliminating Freckle AB Set Cream Jiaoli Miraculous Cream Jiao Li 10-Days Eliminating Freckle Day & Night Set Jiaoli Huichusu Whitening Speckles Removal Cream Jiaoli Huichusu Special Cut Genuine Cream Xin Jiao Li 7-Days Specific Eliminating Freckle Cream Jiaoli Rejuvenation Essence 10 days speckle removing Similar products with possibly different packaging (appears to be from the same company, Harbin Gelidai Jiaobao Cosmetics) Jiao Liang Miraculous Cream Xin Jiao Liang 7-Days Miracle Package for Spots Refining Jiao Mei Miraculous Cream Jiao Yan Specific Miraculous Cream Jiao Li Extra Pearl Facial Cream Mui Lee Hiang – Cream for Acne & Blemishes (link with picture) Natural 99 yellow cream – day cream, Natural 99 white cream – night cream (link with pictures) Rose Super White Whitening Essence (link with picture) Whitening Sunblock Cream – Day Cream (link with picture) EMEL SKIN CARE CO. No. 8 (link with picture) Dermaline (link to 2009 FDA Import Alert for creams containing mercury) Miss Key Whitening Cream / Crema Bianqueadora Miss Key (link to 2009 FDA Import Alert for creams containing mercury) Santa Cream / Crema Santa (link to 2009 FDA Import Alert for creams containing mercury) Mannig Beauty Cream / Manning Cream De Belleza 8% mercury by weight Link to 2009 FDA Import Alert for creams containing mercury Bioactive Facial Enlightening Activator Day and Night UV Expert Jin Sheng Mei (link with picture) Ginseng (Extra Pearl Cream) Orrefor (Extra Pearl Cream) Pally (Nourishing Cream) Bivong Butae (Pearl Cream) Silvana cream Ly-NA (Nourish face cream) ALFA (Extra Pearl cream) Yin Fong (Extra Pearl cream) Diana Cream April 2009 – Import refusal report by FDA for Diana Cream and Acne Soap because of “unapproved new drug”, Refusal AC1-6395152-1/38/1/. Unfortunately, no lab sample analysis was done. April 1997 – Article referencing Canada’s alert on Diana Cream’s mercury content Civic (Nourishing cream) Ideal cream Melanax Cing-Cing (Roon Petch) Daifu (Herbal formula/pearl cream) Cream Minerva Stillmann’s Freckle Cream Has 39,000 mg/kg of mercury! Link to the EC’s Rapid Alert notification with picture Fasco Herbal Cream Has 440 mg/kg of mercury Link to the EC’s Rapid Alert notification with picture TOP-GEL MCA Cream Link to the Hong Kong government’s press release Shabright Clear and Bright Skin Formula LuLanJina (white and yellow cream) Ling Ji Su (white and yellow cream) St. Dalfour Cream 2007 US FDA import refusal report 2010 FDA ban for containing dangerous levels of mercury (See article 1, article 2, article 3) Miss Beauty Magic Cream Has 28,600 ppm of mercury! JJJ Magic Spots Removing Cream Flower Woman 7-Day Whitening and Spot and Night Set Cream Sara Glutathione Sheep Placenta Whitening and Anti-Spot Cream Beauty Girl Natural Olive and Sheep Essence 10-Day Double Whitening Cream Other products from the same company Yudantang International, Taiwan (also contains mercury) Beauty Girl Papaya & Hawthorne Essence Beauty Girl Ginseng & Green Cucumber Beauty Girl Essence Aloe Pearl Beauty Girl Double White SPF17AP Whitening Cream Szitang 7-Day Specific Whitening and Spot AB Set Cream Miss Beauty Excellent Therapy Whitening Cream (violet and old rose packaging) Aichun Beauty Green Tea Whitening Speckle Removing Series Cream Aichun Beauty Whitening Freckle Day and Night Cream Shengli Day & Night Cream Doctor Bai Skin Revitalizing Skin Brightening Qiang Li Zeng Bai Qu Ban Wang whitening cream S’Zitang Cream Yoko Gentleman Cream for men Jonathan clearing facial spots 12-day cream Glutathione Grape Seed Extract whitening & anti-aging Gemli Glutathione Hydrolyzed Collagen whitening & anti-aging Qian Mei – white cream and yellow cream Cream Aghader Savon pour L’acné Diana soap Lemon Herbal Whiting Cream 33,000 ppm of mercury! Sensual Whitening Cream Link to Malaysia’s Ministry of Health press release Crema Aguamary face cream and eye cream Link with picture Crema Antiedad y Desmanchadora Nearly identical to “Crema Aguamary” above. Has 130,000 times the FDA limit for mercury. Article with news video Long Dian Tu Glutathione Pearl Natural Whitening Essence Cream Feique Rose Refining Nourishing Set Cream Lianglibai Qingbanxuejizuhetaozhuang Cream Pretty Model Whitening and Freckle Removing Cream Yudantang Aloe Pearl 10-Day Whitening Speckles Removed Essence Cream Women of Flower Whitening and Speckle Removing AB Series Cream Lamb Placenta Whitening and Anti-Aging Cream Forever Beauty 10-Day Special Cream New Baijiasi Whitening Night Cream Published reports of mercury found in skin creams Many government websites also contain lists of banned cosmetics and soaps that contain mercury. For example, The Kenya Bureau of Standards has a list of banned products containing mercury. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) also has a list of skin creams that exceeded the FDA limit for mercury upon testing. In 2004, New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene conducted an investigation and had the mercury content of several store-bought skin-lightening products analysed (see page 3 of this pdf for the product list and their mercury content). In May 2010, the Chicago Tribune had 50 skin-lightening creams tested at a lab (most of the creams were bought in stores, a few were ordered online). Six were found to contain illegal amounts of mercury. You can check the Chicago Tribune’s findings in this detailed list containing the names of these creams and the levels of mercury they contained (download pdf). In August 2011, Philippine watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition conducted a test of 12 brands of whitening creams. 11 tested positive for high levels of mercury (download pdf). Later in October 2011, the same group screened 25 brands and found that 19 contained 1,395 ppm to 52,100 ppm of mercury (none listed mercury as an ingredient). Appearance and packaging Most skin lightening creams containing mercury are either white or yellow in color. Unscrupulous manufacturers can also easily change their product names and packaging to evade the authorities. The packaging for skin whitening creams containing mercury would also usually not list mercury as one of its ingredients, although sometimes ‘calomel’ is listed (calomel is mercurous chloride, a type of mercury). Unlabeled or homemade products are also suspect In one case, skin lightening creams sold in white plastic jars with no labels were found to contain 5.6% or 56,000 ppm of mercury (2010/11 Health Alert from California’s Department of Public Health, with picture). In another case, sellers of the banned St. Dalfour whitening cream not only stole an existing European jam company’s brand name St. Dalfour for themselves, but also reused the company’s jam jars! Perhaps most shockingly is that these startling facts aren’t enough to deter everyone. Skin whitening forums are rife with sellers insisting they have the “real” St Dalfour whitening cream, as opposed to the “fake” ones. All without a trace of irony.
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 08:28:44 +0000
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