The Zero Mercury Working Group (ZMWG) has been investigating mercury-added skin lightening products (SLPs) for several years, primarily due to their health risks, their illegality under many national laws, and the prohibition by the Minamata Convention on Mercury against the manufacture and trade of mercury-added SLPs, which generally became effective in 2021. Between 2017 and 2022, our three separate investigations confirmed continued worldwide availability of illegal SLPs containing high mercury concentrations, as well as the urgent need for legal and programmatic reforms to better protect consumers and their families from unsafe, illegal and counterfeit products.
Despite substantial health risks, mercury compounds are frequently added to SLPs because mercury lightens the skin by suppressing the production of melanin. SLPs have received significant attention in the scientific literature—with countless studies outlining their negative impacts on health and well-being. The World Health Organization has also recognized that mercury—added to some SLPs—is a “major public health concern.
”The regular use of SLPs containing mercury can lead to rashes, skin discoloration and blotching. Long-term exposure may also damage the eyes, lungs, kidneys, digestive,immune and nervous systems. An adult’s use of SLPs laden with mercury can also expose other family members, such as through close contact, and may even require decontamination of the home.
The widespread use of SLPs – with or without mercury – is particularly concerning because they are a symbol of societies grappling with internalized racism and colorism.The global market for SLPs is estimated at USD 8.8 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 11.8 billion by 2026. In some populations, more than 50% of individuals use SLPs regularly, and one analysis estimated that 27.7% of individuals globally have used them at one time or another.
SLPs containing mercury are sold through local markets and online. The importance of e-commerce is particularly concerning, given the growing market share of e-commerce generally, and the challenges of regulating online sales especially where the seller is outside the country. Violations of health and safety laws facilitated by e-commerce sites not only threaten public health, but also create an uneven playing field since “brick and mortar” stores must comply with domestic laws that may be evaded by non-domestic sellers.
In 2017 and 2018, ZMWG purchased 338 SLPs from local shops in 22 different countries.These products were analyzed and 10% were found to contain mercury levels above 1ppm (part per million), the limit established by the Minamata Convention and followed by an increasing number of governments. A follow-up study was conducted by ZMWG in2019, targeting again the high-mercury products identified during the 2017-2018 study,as well as others identified by additional government agencies and researchers. Of the166 samples analyzed, 56% had mercury concentrations over 1 ppm.
Following publication of the 2019 ZMWG study, most of the 13 online platforms selling high-mercury SLPs were asked to take down the products in question. Some did so, while others did not respond or claimed that they had no legal obligations to ensure that the products on their platforms were compliant with national or international law. Even in cases where high-mercury products were initially taken down, the products sometimes reappeared later on the same e-commerce platforms.
