Resources

The Zero Mercury Working Group Newsletter is published monthly since November 2019.

BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA—January 30, 2025—Today, Plaintiffs Larry Lee and As You Sow reached a settlement with Amazon concluding a nearly decade-long lawsuit addressing the sale on Amazon.com of brightening and lightening skin creams containing mercury. This settlement prohibits Amazon from selling skin lightening creams that contain mercury in excess of FDA limits.

This educational video was created by youth leaders involved in Beautywell’s Young Women’s Wellness and Leadership Initiative, the Youth Advisory Board, and young women leading community initiatives. The video's purpose is to mobilize youth and raise awareness about colorism, skin-lightening practices, and chemical exposures within the youth population.

Campaign on Health Risks of Toxic Skin Lighteners

The GlobalRecalls portal brings together information on product recalls being issued around the world, on a regular basis, together in one place – on an OECD platform.

The portal includes information on mandatory and voluntary consumer product recalls which were issued by a governmental body and were made publicly available.

The project Eliminating Mercury Skin Lightening Products - Jamaica, Gabon, and Sri Lanka, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), aims to reduce the risk of exposure to mercury-added skin lightening products.

[ French / English ] CNN explique comment les niveaux élevés de mercure présents dans certaines crèmes éclaircissantes pour la peau peuvent affecter la santé des personnes qui les utilisent ainsi que contaminer l'environment de leur maison.

Learn what is in beauty products by exploring the Beautywell database and its Knowledge Hub webpage.

The California Department of Public Health webpage presents information (also in Spanish) and lists of resources on mercury in skin creams.

This webpage from the European Chemicals Agency lists substances which are banned from use in any cosmetic products marketed for sale or use in the European Union.

The New York City Department of Health Health topic webpage on mercury in soaps and creams lists some skin-lightening creams and medicated soaps that have been found to contain high levels of mercury.

[ English / Spanish / Hmong / Somali ]

[ English / Spanish / Hmong / Somali ]

[ English / Spanish / Hmong / Somali ]

The project Eliminating Mercury Skin Lightening Products (SLPs) was developed to reduce the risk of exposure to mercury added products through activities targeted at better regulation, reducing production, trade and distribution, capacity-building, awareness-raising

Skin bleaching in Africa is not a new beauty phenomenon. The practice has its roots in the transatlantic slave trade and continued during the European colonization of African nations. Skin bleaching and the use of hazardous and potent substances have been linked to a range of adverse effects, from skin diseases to serious systemic problems such as diabetes, hypertension and renal diseases.

Reinforcing the health sector’s commitment to the implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury: The showcase of GEF-UNEP-WHO projects on mercury-added products

This course explores the different forms of mercury and its compounds with their respective sources, environmental distribution, toxicological aspects, and prevention measures. In addition, it introduces the Minamata Convention and Resolution 67.11 (2014) of the World Health Assembly (WHA), and its considerations on public health aspects related to mercury.

The sale and trade of mercury-added skin lightening products (SLPs) have continued despite widespread sampling, reporting, awareness campaigns, and legal prohibitions, including a global treaty ban.

[ English / French ] Protocol for Sampling and Analyzing Skin Lightening Products for Mercury

A project in Gabon, Jamaica and Sri Lanka to eliminate mercury in skin-lightening products is highlighting the challenges faced in achieving that aim. Tatum Anderson reports.

Published by WHO Bulletin, June 2023.  

[ English / French / Spanish ]

Infographic alerting on the general health impact of mercury, in three languages.

Les blanchissants pour la peau qui contiennent du MERCURE sont DANGEREUX

Los blanqueadores de piel que contienen MERCURIO son PELIGROSOS

This report builds upon the previous work of the Zero Mercury Working Group (ZMWG) in exposing the toxic trade in skin lightening products (SLPs) laced with mercury. SLPs are sold globally via online platforms and, in this particular case, the focus is on illegal SLP sales by Amazon.com in the United States.

White lies is a series by CNN's As Equals investigating skin whitening practices worldwide. The series will expose the underlying drivers of colorism, the industry that profits from it and the cost to individuals and communities globally.