Cavite LGUs Alerted on the Illegal Sale of Mercury-Laced Skin Lightening Products that Can Harm People and Ecosystems

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

(EcoWaste Coalition & Cavite Green Coalition pitch for local action to stem illegal trade of FDA-flagged cosmetics in 20 LGUs)

15 March 2026, Quezon City. As the National Women’s Month is celebrated, civil society groups conducted an unprecedented province-wide investigation of retail outlets engaged in the unlawful trade of mercury-containing skin lightening products in Cavite, a highly industrialized province and considered the most populous in the Philippines, with about five million people.

The monitoring was carried out between February 27 to March 6, 2025 by a joint investigative team from the EcoWaste Coalition (EWC), Cavite Green Coalition (CGC) and the Diocese of Imus Ministry on Ecology (DIMEC) to check on the retail market compliance to the ban on mercury use in cosmetics under the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive (ACD) and the Minamata Convention on Mercury.

The monitoring, driven by the groups’ commitment to protect public health and the environment, focused on unauthorized or unapproved products marketed to women desiring a lighter and flawless skin complexion. It covered beauty product vendors in eight cities and 15 municipalities. However, the scope of this monitoring did not extend to home-based online sellers within the province.

In short, 61 beauty product stores and kiosks located in 20 out of 23 local government units (LGUs) in Cavite were caught selling contraband cosmetics flagged by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for mercury adulteration and/or lack of market authorization.

These LGUs recorded the highest concentration of errant retailers: Bacoor City (7), Tanza (6), Imus City (5), Rosario (5), Silang (5), and Tagaytay City (5). LGUs with two to four non-compliant sellers include Dasmariñas City (4), General Trias City (4), Trece Martires City (4), Cavite City (3), Indang (3), and Naic (2). LGUs with at least one store selling FDA-flagged cosmetics include Alfonso, Amadeo, Carmona City, General Mariano Alvarez, Magallanes, Maragondon, Noveleta, and Ternate. The retailers visited in General Aguinaldo, Kawit, and Mendez carried none of the products in question at the time of monitoring.



The errant retailers were often found selling two or more of the FDA-banned cosmetics, such as Pakistan-made Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene, Goree Day and Night Beauty Cream, Goree Gold 24K Beauty Cream, Goree 4-in-1 Beauty Kit, and Goree Gold 24K 3-in-1 Beauty Kit, and Thailand-made 88 Total White Underarm Cream. A few stores offer banned China-made Jiaoli and S’Zitang products, and Indonesia-made Collagen Plus Vit E Day and Night Cream.


With the aid of an Olympus Vanta M Series X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyzer, the groups detected varying levels of mercury in the following products bought from Cavite retailers in blatant violation of the ACD and the mercury treaty: Goree Gold 24K Beauty Cream (34,520 ppm), Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene (28,620 ppm), Goree Day & Night Beauty Cream (27,490 ppm), 88 Total White Underarm Cream (2,194 ppm), Jiaoli Miraculous Cream (mercury not detected), and S’Zitang 10-Day Whitening & Spot Day-Night Set (day cream with336 ppm and night cream with 514 ppm).

The EWC and CGC have notified the mayors of the 20 LGUs, the provincial governor, and the FDA about the results of the said market monitoring, providing the authorities with some recommendations to stem the illegal trade of mercury-laced cosmetics in the Cavite province, including adopting regulatory measures and campaigning for “natural is beautiful” to celebrate natural skin tones and discourage consumption of chemical whiteners with mercury and other hazardous substances.

Beyond causing immediate health issues like rashes, scarring, and blotchy skin, mercury in skin lightening products reduces the skin’s ability to fight off infections. Over time, mercury builds up in the body, leading to serious damage to the kidneys and nervous system. Mercury in adulterated products enters the body primarily through skin contact and breathing in vapors during regular application. Residents of the same household, including children, can be exposed to mercury-polluted air and contact with contaminated clothes, towels, blankets, and pillows.

As mercury can easily cross the placental barrier, pregnant women exposed to this poison face increased risks of miscarriage, stillbirth, and premature delivery. It can also permanently damage the developing fetal brain and nervous system, leading to irreversible developmental delays, learning disabilities, lower IQ, and motor skill impairments.

Nursing women may also pass mercury to infants through the breast milk. Even though small amounts of mercury can pass into breast milk, breastfeeding remains the best option as it provides essential nutrients and protection for babies that are not present in artificial milk substitutes, while also supporting the mother’s recovery and health.

BIR Shuts Down Cebu Online Seller Over ₱211 Million Undeclared Sales

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has shut down an online selling operation in Cebu for failing to declare more than ₱211 million in sales, following an investigation conducted by the Regional Investigation Division of Revenue Region No. 13 – Central Visayas, under the supervision of Regional Director Douglas A. Rufino.

The closure order was implemented on Thursday, March 12, under the BIR’s Oplan Kandado program.

The enforcement action stemmed from a joint investigation by the BIR and the National Bureau of Investigation – Central Visayas Regional Office (NBI-CEVRO) after authorities received confidential information about an online seller offering luxury goods through Facebook Live and other digital platforms without issuing official receipts and without proper registration with the BIR. 

Subsequent surveillance and tax compliance verification conducted by BIR and NBI operatives linked the business to locations in Jamestown and Mabini Street in Mandaue City, as well as Pahina Central in Cebu City.

Mission Orders were subsequently issued authorizing investigators to monitor sales activities, verify tax compliance, and conduct an inventory of products subject to tax.

An examination of business records seized during the operation showed that the seller generated more than ₱211 million in gross sales, based on the establishment’s own transaction records.

Based on these records, BIR computed a minimum tax liability of ₱40.4 million, inclusive of surcharges and penalties, under the National Internal Revenue Code.

Efforts are ongoing to locate the individual behind the operation, who has not responded to the BIR’s repeated notices.

The BIR is now preparing to pursue formal tax assessments and possible criminal charges against the individual under the Run After Tax Evaders (RATE) program.

“The BIR remains firm in ensuring that all businesses, whether operating in physical stores or on online platforms, comply with tax laws. Honest taxpayers should never be placed at a disadvantage by those who evade their obligations. We will continue to enforce the law and protect the integrity of our tax system,” said BIR Commissioner Charlito Martin R. Mendoza.

 

The operation forms part of the BIR’s intensified enforcement campaign against illegal business activities and tax evasion, carried out in line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to strengthen revenue integrity and ensure fair tax compliance, and consistent with the policy direction of Finance Secretary Frederick D. Go to protect government revenues and uphold a level playing field for law-abiding businesses.