Unmasking Mercury and Colorism in Cosmetics

This event co-organized by the Minamata Convention on Mercury, the United Nations Environment Programme and the Geneva Environment Network will feature leading voices to highlight the need of addressing the underlying socio-cultural norms surrounding skin-lightening products.

About this Event

Hundreds of millions of people globally use skin-lightening products (SLPs). The use of SLPs is promoted by media, advertising and marketing that often reinforce the bias that a lighter skin tone is more desirable than darker skin tone. The bias is rooted in systemic colorism that promotes harmful stereotypes that associate lighter skin with beauty and better prospects of employment, marriage and social standing.

SLPs may contain harmful ingredients, including steroids, hydroquinone and toxic mercury compounds, that not only damage the skin but can lead to serious health concerns. Many cosmetic products still contain mercury to increase their whitening effect. The concentration of mercury in SLPs can vary based on manufacturing standards and labelling discrepancies, making it difficult for consumers and authorities to identify mercury in these products.

The Minamata Convention on Mercury explicitly bans the manufacture, import and export of mercury-added cosmetics. At its fifth meeting, the Conference of Parties (COP), the decision-making body of the Minamata Convention, decided to eliminate the 1 ppm threshold for mercury content in cosmetics, including skin lightening soaps and creams, thereby making it explicit that no mercury can be added to cosmetics. Parties to the Minamata Convention, who have companies in their jurisdiction that manufactures SLPs that contain mercury, will need to abide with the new Convention requirement. In 2023, the COP agreed to consider the challenges in phasing out the use of mercury in cosmetics and measures to address these challenges at its upcoming meeting in November 2025.

While there are some advances made, there is still insufficient awareness of health risks posed by mercury in cosmetics. Advertisements in social media, retail, television, billboards, and internet shopping platforms in many countries which have embedded colorism in marketing campaigns exacerbates the problem.

Leading voices invited to speak at this event will stress that without addressing the underlying socio -cultural norms surrounding SLPs – the idealization of whiteness and the concepts association with beauty, wealth and power – the demand for SLPs will continue.

Registration

This session is taking place in-person and online. Participants are kindly invited to register for either online or in-person event.

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