FDA says that many anti-aging, smoothing, skin-lightening, and beauty lotions and creams sold at ethnic beauty shops and online have dangerous levels of Mercury.

1. Consumer Health Information
www.fda.gov/consumer
Mercury Poisoning
Linked to Skin Products
F
ederal health officials are warning
consumers not to use skin creams,
beauty and antiseptic soaps, or
lotions that might contain mercury.
The products are marketed as skin lighteners
and anti-aging treatments that remove age spots,
freckles, blemishes and wrinkles, says Gary Coody,
national health fraud coordinator in the Food and
Drug Administration’s Office of Regulatory Affairs.
Adolescents also may use these products as acne
treatments, adds Coody. Products with this toxic
metal have been found in at least seven states.
The products are manufactured abroad and sold
illegally in the United States—often in shops in
Latino, Asian, African or Middle Eastern neigh-
borhoods and online. Consumers may also have
bought them in another country and brought
them back to the U.S. for personal use.
“If you have a product that matches these
descriptions (and others listed below), stop using
it immediately,” says Coody.
“Even though these products are promoted as
cosmetics, they also may be unapproved new
drugs under the law,” says Linda Katz, M.D., direc-
tor of FDA’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors. FDA
does not allow mercury in drugs or in cosmetics,
except under very specific conditions, which these
products do not meet.
“Sellers and distributors should not market
these illegal products and may be subject to
enforcement action, which could include seizure
of the products and other legal sanctions,” says
attorney Brad Pace, J.D., of the Heath Fraud and
Consumer Outreach Branch within FDA’s Center
for Drug Evaluation and Research.
Dangers of Mercury
“Exposure to mercury can have serious health con-
sequences,” says Charles Lee, M.D., a senior medi-
cal advisor at FDA. “It can damage the kidneys These skin creams manufactured in other countries are among the
and the nervous system, and interfere with the products found in recent years to contain mercury.
1 / FDA Consumer Health Infor mat ion / U. S. Food and Drug Administrat ion M ARCH 2012

2. Consumer Health Information
www.fda.gov/consumer
development of the brain in unborn local environmental, health or
children and very young children.” solid waste agency for disposal Signs and Symptoms of
You don’t have to use the product instructions. Some communities Mercury Poisoning
yourself to be affected, says FDA toxi- have special collections or
cologist Mike Bolger, Ph.D. “People— other options for disposing of • rritability
i
particularly children—can get mer- household hazardous waste. • hyness
s
cury in their bodies from breathing • remors
t
in mercury vapors if a member of Tracking Skin Products • hanges in vision or hearing
c
the household uses a skin cream con- Containing Mercury • emory problems
m
taining mercury.” Infants and small Investigations in the past few years • epression
d
children can ingest mercury if they by FDA and state health officials have • umbness and tingling in hands,
n
touch their parents who have used turned up more than 35 products that feet or around mouth
these products, get cream on their contain unacceptable levels of mer- Source: Agency for Toxic Substances
hands and then put their hands and cury. FDA continues to add mercury- and Disease Registry (www.atsdr.cdc.
fingers into their mouth, which they containing skin products to its import gov/PHS/PHS.asp?id=112tid=24)
are prone to do, adds Bolger. alerts, which authorize the agency’s
field staff to refuse admission of ship-
How to Protect Yourself ments of these products.
• heck the label of any skin
C But this is only a partial solution, cury levels in people exposed to skin
lightening, anti-aging or other says Coody. “Many of these products products containing mercury. In Min-
skin product you use. If you see are coming into the country through nesota, 11 of 27 imported skin prod-
the words “mercurous chloride,” channels we can’t easily track, such ucts taken from store shelves con-
“calomel,” “mercuric,” “mercurio,” as international mail and personal tained mercur y . Photos of some
or “mercury,” stop using the baggage. That’s why it’s so important illegal mercury-containing products
product immediately. for consumers and sellers to know are shown here:
• f there is no label or no
I about the dangers of possible mercury • innesota Department of Health
M
ingredients are listed, do not use poisoning associated with the use of (www.health.state.mn.us/topics/skin)
the product. Federal law requires these skin products.” • aryland Department of Health
M
that ingredients be listed on the Texas health officials say samples of and Mental Hygiene (dhmh.mary-
label of any cosmetic or drug. face cream they tested contained mer- land.gov/publicrelations/pr/Lists/
• on’t use products labeled in
D cury up to 131,000 times the allow- Posts/Post.aspx?List=838aa932%2
languages other than English unless able level. And a teenager in southern D428a%2D4211%2D856a%2D69
English labeling is also provided. Texas who used a mercury-containing 9ef62796b9ID=17Web=3069d1
• f you suspect you have been
I skin cream was recently hospitalized 04%2Dbcfc%2D4c0f%2Dae6f%2
using a product with mercury, for mercury poisoning. Dca28f24d570f)
stop using it immediately. In Northern California, a 39-year
Thoroughly wash your hands and old woman had more than 100 times
any other parts of your body that the average amount of mercury in her Find this and other Consumer
have come in contact with the urine and had symptoms of mercury Updates at www.fda.gov/
product. Contact your health care poisoning, according to the California ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates
professional or a medical care Department of Public Health. For three
clinic for advice. years, the woman and her husband Sign up for free e-mail
• f you have questions, call your
I had been using an unlabeled mercury- subscriptions at www.fda.gov/
health care professional or the containing face cream that was brought consumer/consumerenews.html
Poison Center (www.poison.org) into the U.S. from Mexico by a relative.
at 1-800-222-1222; it is open 24 Several other family members who did
hours a day. not use the cream, including a four-
• efore throwing out a product
B year-old child, also had elevated levels
that may contain mercury, seal of mercury in their bodies.
it in a plastic bag or leak-proof Virginia, Maryland, and New York
container. Check with your have also seen cases of elevated mer-
2 / FDA Consumer Health Infor mat ion / U. S. Food and Drug Administrat ion M ARCH 2012