8 August 2026, Quezon City. Despite missed deadlines in 2020 and 2025, dangerous mercury-laced skin whiteners are still widely available in the marketplace, threatening people and the planet, the toxics watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition of the Philippines said.
The EcoWaste Coalition, an advocate for a zero-waste and toxics-free society, made this observation ahead of the 9th anniversary of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which entered into force on August 16, 2017. The treaty, among other provisions, banned the use of mercury in cosmetics, such as skin-lightening products, to protect human health and the environment from the harmful effects of mercury and its compounds.
The EcoWaste Coalition continues to call on the international community to enforce the ban on the production, import, and export of mercury-added cosmetics to protect public health and the environment.
“Our vigilant market monitoring shows the global ban on health- and environmentally-damaging mercury-containing cosmetics is far from being fully enforced,” said Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition. “Countries that produce, import, and export mercury-containing cosmetics, as well as e-commerce and social media platforms peddling them, must take strong steps to shut down the illegal manufacturing and sales of these prohibited products.”
“Moreover, we must fix colorism, challenge discriminatory beauty standards, uphold inclusivity, lift all skin tones, and promote respect for natural skin to discourage use of chemical whiteners laced with mercury and other hazardous substances,” she added.
The Minamata Convention originally scheduled the global phase-out of the manufacture, import, and export of mercury-added cosmetics in 2020. At the fifth Conference of the Parties (COP5), parties agreed to a binding 2025 deadline to eliminate mercury in such products, and removed the previous one part per million (ppm) threshold for mercury content in cosmetics.
However, mercury-laced skin-lightening products are still being made and sold, even though the 2020 and 2025 phase-out deadlines have passed and health authorities have already flagged some of these items, the EcoWaste Coalition said.
To illustrate the persistent problem with mercury-added cosmetics, the EcoWaste Coalition reported it has procured and analyzed 27 contaminated products from January to July 2026, including 22 from Pakistan, two from Taiwan, and one each from China, Indonesia, and Thailand.
Of the 27 analyzed products, 15 were manufactured in 2025; four in 2026; three in 2024; two in 2023; and one in 2022 (two products provided no production and/or expiration dates).
Using a handheld Olympus Vanta M Series X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyzer, the EcoWaste Coalition detected mercury up to 33,970 ppm in these products marketed to lighten the skin tone, achieve a youthful glow, treat acne, and remove signs of ageing, including age spots, freckles, and wrinkles.
XRF screening detects 33,970 ppm of banned mercury in this beauty cream that claims to lighten dark spots, moisturize and regenerate the skin.
Among the mercury-tainted skin-lightening products discovered by the EcoWaste Coalition from January to July 2026 are:
From Pakistan: Arayna Papaya Glow Beauty Cream; Arena Gold Beauty Cream; Arena Gold New Fairness Cream for Men; Biocos Beauty Cream with Emergency Whitening Serum and Soap; Bio Gold Papaya Whitening Beauty Cream; Chandni Day & Night Whitening Cream (black packaging); Chandni Whitening Cream Men’s; Due Beauty Cream; Face Fresh Beauty Cream; Fresh & White Beauty Cream; Golden Pearl Beauty Cream with Gluta Serum; Golden Pearl Ultra Glam Beauty Cream; Navia Gluta Bright Beauty Cream; Parley 24K Gold Gleam Beauty Cream; Sativa Beauty Cream; Seven Herbal Beauty Cream; Seven Herbal Ubtan; Super White Anti-Marks Cream; Super White Beauty Cream; Tibet Snow; Yaz Beauty Cream Double White + Vitamin C; and Yaz Gold Beauty Cream Active White + 24K Gold Dust.
From Taiwan: Lianibo Whitening Night Cream and Meiduzi Night Cream.
From China: Nen Fu Mei Yan Herbage Ruddy Speckle-Removing Cream.
From Thailand: Berry Plus Extra Whitening Cream.
From Indonesia: Rose White and Natural Cream Moisturizer.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), acting on the reports submitted by the EcoWaste Coalition, had already issued 10 public health warnings against the purchase and use of Arena Gold Beauty Cream, Due Beauty Cream, Face Fresh Beauty Cream, Parley 24K Gold Gleam Beauty Cream, Tibet Snow, Yaz Beauty Cream Double White + Vitamin C, and Yaz Gold Beauty Cream Active White + 24K Gold Dust from Pakistan; Lianibo Whitening Night Cream and Meiduzi Night Cream from Taiwan, and Rose White & Natural Cream Moisturizer from Indonesia.
In addition, the EcoWaste Coalition, during the same period, monitored the illegal sale of skin-lightening products already flagged by the FDA, particularly the five variants of Pakistan-made Goree Beauty Cream, in online shops, social media sites, and in physical stores, particularly in 20 out of 23 local government units in the province of Cavite; Quezon City; and Davao City. The products were flagged due to mercury adulteration and/or lack of required market authorization.
Purchased from online sellers between January to July 2026, these skin-lightening products screened positive for mercury up to 33,970 ppm in violation of the global ban on mercury in cosmetics.
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Reference:
https://www.who.int/initiatives/elimination-of-mercury-containing-skin-lightening-products
