Mercury in Cosmetics

Presented by Michael Bender Mercury Policy Project/

Zero Mercury Working Groupwww.mercurypolicy.orgwww.zeromercury.org

UNEP Mercury Products Meeting

Bangkok, Thailand18 May 2007

Summary of Presentation

• Increasing popularity of skin whitening creams in Asia and all over the world

• Least expensive creams may contain mercury and other hazardous substance

• Mercury in creams poses health risk

• Risky products are in the marketplace

• Awareness and monitoring can reduce availability of hazardous creams

Increasing sales throughout Asia

• According to Japanese cosmetics giant Shiseido, sales of skin-whitening products in Asia grew by 20 percent between 1997 and 2003.

• In Thailand, the whitening lotion segment accounts for more than 60% of the country's annual US$100 million facial skincare market.

• In Hong Kong, moisturizers account for 60% to 70% of the multi-million dollar skincare market, of which skin whitening products capture 40 percent.

Use is Widespread & Increasing

• 4 out of 10 women in Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan now use a skin-whitening cream, a survey conducted by Synovate, a market research company, found.

• Carried out in 2004, 61 percent of respondents in Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan said they felt they looked younger with a fair complexion. Half of Filipino women, 45 percent of Hong Kong women and 41 percent of Malaysian women said they were currently using a skin-whitening product.

Skin treatments including whitening are offered in Hong Kong's subway.

Most creams considered safe, except (generally) for least expensive

• While most skin-whitening creams are considered safe, doctors, consumer groups and government officials are reporting dangerous consequences from some brands

• One problem, say doctors, is that the most effective. but risky skin-bleaching agents are often the least expensive

• Like mercury-based ingredients or hydroquinone, which in Thailand sells for about $20 per kilogram, compared to highly concentrated licorice extract, which sells for about $20,000 a kilo.

POISONOUS CREAM!: Below is an example of a “skin-whitening” cream that contains poisonous mercury.

Mercury Salts Can Be Absorbed• The toxicity of mercury compounds has been

extensively documented. • Excessive mercury is very harmful to the

nervous system and the kidneys • High doses of mercury are associated with sight

or hearing loss and hand tremors as well as personality changes, anxiety, insomnia, memory loss, progressing to cerebral palsy and potentially fatal kidney failure

• Even low doses of mercury exposure to the womb is especially harmful, causing nervous system, brain damage to the developing baby

Risky products in the market place

• Dozens of imported cosmetics containing dangerous chemicals, such as hydroquinone, a carcinogenic substance, and mercury, have been found in local markets.

• Many of the products were whitening lotions and creams, imported from China and Thailand for consumers seeking fairer complexions.

Hong Kong Study• A study of 38 skin-whitening creams in Hong Kong in

2000 showed eight made by global cosmetic makers exceeded the US safety limits for mercury. Five were made in China and three in Taiwan.

• One woman was admitted to hospital and 13 others referred to specialists after using creams that had high mercury levels 9,000 and 65,000 times above recommended levels.

• Since 2002, Hong Kong's public has become more aware of problems that skin-whitening products cause.

• Reassuringly, a 2002 follow up study found that of the 32 skin-whitening products tested, all passed the safety requirement on mercury and lead content.

Concerns with (mainly) illegal products

• Inexpensive black-market products with powerful but illegal bleaching agents are selling briskly throughout the poorer parts of South and Southeast Asia.  

• Thailand's Food and Drug Administration has published a list of 70 skin- whitening creams circulating illegally around the country

• Indonesian officials have identified more than 50 banned cosmetics.

• There are also some questions about legitimate creams

Indonesia Regulations• The Indonesia Food and Drug Control Agency

(BPOM) latest public warning was issued in 2004, when it identified 51 beauty products containing mercury and Rhodamin B color additive that were sold in markets across the country.

• In January 2006, police announced they had seized 200 boxes of cosmetic products containing mercury from a small manufacturing company in West Jakarta.

• The company produced imitation Unilever products such as Dove skin lotion, and fake Procter & Gamble products like Olay skin moisturizer and Head & Shoulders shampoo.

Mercury Cosmetics and Manufacturing Locations

• Many soaps historically manufactured in UK• 2003 EU export ban moved production

overseas• Research suggests creams containing

mercury are manufactured in Dubai, Thailand, China, Taiwan, and Mexico

• Indonesia and S. Africa are thought to be large exporters of mercury cream

Difficult to monitor imported products

• Indonesian Consumer Foundation has reported that it is very difficult to stop entry of products into the market.

• One of the problems in monitoring these products is that often they are transported to the country by individuals who carry the products in their luggage.

• For example, a trader at a traditional market, who sells unlicensed cosmetics priced from Rp 5,000 (55 U.S. cents) to Rp 50,000 (US$5.5), said a "friend" who regularly traveled to China provided him with the products.

Recommendations

• Ban manufacture, export, or import of mercury products by date certain

• Promote public awareness and monitoring, labeling is the most vital because the people should be empowered to protect themselves

• Investigate the effectiveness of existing laws, improve as necessary

• Launch public education campaigns to reduce demand for these products.

• Call on W.H.O. to fill critical research gap on detrimental impacts on developing babies

Acknowledgements

Thanks to the following organizations and individuals for sharing ideas and/or slides for this presentation:

Linda Greer, NRDCwww.nrdc

Peter Maxson, ConcordeEast/West, Inc.UNEP staff