Mercury-Laced Skin Whitening Creams Still Thrive in Baclaran — Health at Stake Amid Lax Enforcement

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Pasay City — Beneath the bustling stalls and crowded alleys of Baclaran, a silent poison is being peddled in small jars and shiny boxes — cosmetics laced with dangerous amounts of mercury. Despite a nationwide ban more than a decade old, these skin-lightening products (SLPs) remain openly available in beauty shops, their pastel packaging hiding a toxic reality that could scar lives forever.

Toxics watchdog BAN Toxics sounded the alarm once again, issuing a public health warning after a recent market sweep revealed that mercury-tainted SLPs — long prohibited by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — are still being sold freely in Pasay City. The group is urging the local government to act swiftly, crack down on violators, and protect unsuspecting consumers from irreversible harm.

A Toxic Find in the Heart of the Marketplace

During its latest market monitoring activity, BAN Toxics purchased six brands of banned beauty creams, priced between ₱150 and ₱250:

C Collagen Plus Vit E Day and Night Cream

Golden Pearl Beauty Cream

Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene

Goree Day & Night Beauty Cream

Goree Gold 24K Beauty Cream

Jiao Li Miraculous Cream

Tests using a Vanta C Series Handheld XRF Analyzer revealed mercury concentrations skyrocketing between 1,480 ppm and a staggering 26,000 ppm — thousands of times higher than the 1 ppm safety limit set by the ASEAN Cosmetics Directive.

These brands have been banned since 2010 due to their dangerous chemical content, yet they continue to circulate — a sign, according to BAN Toxics, of glaring gaps in enforcement and border control.

“A Ticking Time Bomb for Public Health”

“The unwarranted sale of banned, mercury-tainted SLPs will persist unless the government prioritizes health and safety measures, strengthens border controls, and cracks down on importers and sellers, both online and offline,” stressed Thony Dizon, Advocacy and Campaign Officer of BAN Toxics.

The organization has been monitoring mercury-added cosmetics since 2017, in collaboration with the Zero Mercury Working Group (ZMWG). Their mission stems from the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which prohibits the manufacture, import, and export of cosmetics with mercury concentrations above 1 ppm — a global rule that took effect in 2020.

But regulation alone, Dizon warns, is not enough.

“The FDA is the sole government agency responsible for regulating cosmetics in the country, but there must be interagency collaboration with local governments to keep these toxic products out of the market and away from consumers.”

The Deadly Allure of Lighter Skin

According to the ZMWG, mercury compounds are deliberately added to SLPs to suppress melanin production, promising lighter skin — a beauty ideal deeply rooted in cultural perceptions. But the price for this pale complexion is steep: rashes, skin blotching, and discoloration in the short term; irreversible damage to the kidneys, lungs, nervous system, and immune system with prolonged use.

The risks don’t end with the user. Mercury can be transferred through touch, contaminating household surfaces and putting family members — including children — at risk. In extreme cases, home decontamination may be necessary.

The World Health Organization has identified mercury in cosmetics as a major public health concern, making its continued presence in Philippine marketplaces all the more alarming.

A Call for Stronger Laws and Tougher Penalties

BAN Toxics is renewing its call for the refiling of the Safe Cosmetics Act (Senate Bill 1574), originally filed in 2013 by the late Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago. The bill aims to prohibit ingredients linked to cancer and reproductive toxicity from entering cosmetic products.

Until such laws are passed and enforced with teeth, the group is urging local governments to immediately shut down shops violating regulations and ensure that all cosmetics sold in their jurisdictions have valid Cosmetic Product Notifications from the FDA.

BAN Toxics Won’t Back Down

The group vows to continue its market sweeps, expose violators, and pressure both national and local authorities to close loopholes. For them, every illegal jar of cream pulled from the shelves is a step toward saving lives.

“This is not just about beauty,” Dizon concluded. “This is about protecting the health, safety, and dignity of every Filipino.”

In Baclaran, where the air is filled with the chatter of vendors and the scent of street food, the danger lies quietly in glass jars and plastic tubs. And until decisive action is taken, the price of beauty will remain tragically high — measured not in pesos, but in human health.

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