Warning Out on Toxic Eyeliners Contaminated with Lead, Arsenic and Cadmium

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

9 October 2025, Quezon City. As the nation observes the Consumer Welfare Month and as the world gets ready for the International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, the toxics watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition cautioned consumers against the application of eyeliners containing extremely high levels of lead.

Test buys conducted by the group confirmed the continued sale of the Hashmi Surma Asmar in Quiapo, Manila where it is sold for P250 per set despite the absence of authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As per its label, the product was manufactured in July 2023 and will expire in June 2028. Hashmi eyeliners are also sold online at both Lazada and Shopee.

X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) screening conducted by the group revealed that the product contains over 100,000 parts per million (ppm) of lead despite being labeled “corresponds to Pb 0.00%" (Pb is the chemical symbol of lead from the Latin word plumbum).

The ASEAN Cosmetic Directive (ACD) prohibits lead as an ingredient in cosmetics and sets a 20 ppm limit for lead as a heavy metal contaminant in such products.

Aside from lead, the group also found Hashmi Surma Asmar contaminated with 6,410 ppm of arsenic and 309 ppm of cadmium, way beyond the ACD limit of 5 ppm for these heavy metals, which, like lead, are forbidden in cosmetic product formulations.

Arsenic, cadmium and lead are among the 10 chemicals or groups of chemicals of major public health concern according to the World Health Organization (WHO). These toxic metals are also included in the country’s Priority Chemicals List (PCL) as per the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

The EcoWaste Coalition in 2014 alerted consumers and health product regulators about the sale of traditional kohl or surma eyeliners containing high amounts of lead. The group in 2018 drew attention about the toxicity of such eyeliners after three children in Australia suffered from lead poisoning due to the use of such products. Last year, the group again pushed for a ban on such eyeliners following the analysis conducted by the Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP), which found 125,688 ppm of lead on a Hashmi eyeliner.

According to the US FDA, “products containing kohl and similar ingredients have been linked to lead poisoning, especially among children.”



“The risks associated with exposure to lead are especially serious for children. Among the effects associated with high levels of lead exposure are anemia, kidney problems, and neurological damage that may include seizures, coma, and death,” it explained.

“Even at relatively low levels, chronic exposure to lead may lead to learning and behavior problems,” it warned.

To protect the public, the children in particular, the EcoWaste Coalition repeated the following safety tips from US FDA:

1. "Stop using the product immediately and be especially careful to protect children from further exposure."

 

2. "Ask a healthcare provider to test children as well as pregnant or nursing women for lead poisoning if they have used the product."

The group also urged the Philippine FDA to ban Hashmi eyeliners and to stop their further importation, promotion and sale.

FDA-Flagged Skin Lightening Products among those Banned in New York for Containing Toxic Mercury

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

EcoWaste Coalition pushes for concerted action to rid the market of dangerous cosmetics with mercury

10 October 2025, Quezon City.  The Office of the New York State Attorney General (OAG) has ordered three companies to immediately stop selling skin lightening products contaminated with high concentrations of mercury, a potent neurotoxin.  Among those banned were contraband facial creams flagged by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Philippines in 2017, 2021 and 2024.

In a press release issued last October 8, the OAG said that three New York companies have sold dozens of cosmetics with mercury content up to 30,000 times the legal limit of less than one part per million (ppm). 

“Mercury is poison, not a beauty treatment, and no company has any business selling it to consumers.  Products with mercury this high are dangerous and illegal,” said New York State AG Letitia James. “We will not let companies profit by endangering New Yorkers’ health.”

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the “adverse health effects of the inorganic mercury contained in skin lightening creams and soaps include kidney damage, skin rashes, skin discoloration and scarring, reduction in the skin’s resistance to bacterial and fungal infections, anxiety, depression, psychosis and peripheral neuropathy.”

The OAG’s action is in line with New York's Mercury Out of Cosmetics law prohibiting the sale of any cosmetic or personal care product containing mercury other than in trace amounts, which took effect in June 2023.

“We commend the OAG of New York State and its partners in the government and the civil society for this inspiring collaboration to promote and ensure the safety of the public, especially people of color and their children, against the damaging effects of mercury in skin lightening products to human health and the ecosystems,” said Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition. 

The OAG is working with the Department of Environmental Conservation, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, and the Zero Mercury Working Group to protect vulnerable communities from mercury in skin lighteners and other products.

Among the 21 products found contaminated with mercury by OAG investigators were Faiza Beauty Cream, Golden Pearl Beauty Cream, Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene, Parley Goldie Advanced Beauty Cream, and Sandal Beauty Cream.

These products are also among the hundreds of skin lightening products that have been flagged by the FDA for being sold without valid certificates of product notification and/or for containing mercury above the one ppm limit under the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive.

The EcoWaste Coalition reported to the FDA the detection of high levels of mercury in Faiza Beauty Cream, Golden Pearl Beauty Cream, Parley Goldie Advanced Beauty Cream, and Sandal Beauty Cream -- all labeled "made in Pakistan" -- leading to the subsequent issuance of public health advisories in 2021 and 2024.

The FDA banned mercury-containing Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene, also from Pakistan, much earlier in 2017.

However, the illegal importation, distribution and sale of the FDA-flagged products, Goree in particular, has not ceased, the EcoWaste Coalition lamented.

To address this persistent threat to human health and the environment, the EcoWaste Coalition repeated its call for strengthened action at all levels to effectively enforce the ban on mercury use in cosmetics under the Minamata Convention.

Consumers Demand “Immediate Relief” from Skyrocketing Power Rates as Congress Revisits EPIRA Law

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

Metro Manila — Mounting frustration over persistently high electricity bills has reached Congress as consumer welfare group Kuryente.org passionately called on lawmakers to provide “immediate relief” to the public amid ongoing discussions to amend the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) — a law that has long shaped the country’s energy landscape.

During a House Committee on Energy hearing, Bas Umali, National Coordinator of Kuryente.org, delivered a sobering message: ordinary Filipinos continue to bear the brunt of escalating power costs without ever feeling the benefits promised when EPIRA was first enacted in 2001.

“Sana mayroon ding road map ang Energy Regulatory Commission para pababain ‘yung presyo ng kuryente,” Umali urged lawmakers. “Ang kailangan namin ay immediate relief kasi sa mahabang panahon na naisabatas ‘yung EPIRA na ina-amend natin ngayon, hindi nakaranas ang consumers ng mababang presyo.”

(We hope the Energy Regulatory Commission will also have a roadmap to lower electricity rates. What we need is immediate relief because since EPIRA was enacted, consumers have never experienced affordable electricity.)

Two Decades Later, Still Waiting for Affordable Power

When EPIRA was passed more than two decades ago, it was envisioned to encourage competition, privatize the power sector, and ultimately lower electricity rates. However, consumers argue that the opposite happened — electricity in the Philippines remains among the most expensive in Asia, burdening households and small businesses alike.

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), tasked with ensuring fair power pricing, has repeatedly faced criticism for failing to rein in the rising cost of electricity — a problem worsened by global fuel fluctuations, foreign exchange volatility, and the continued dependence on imported energy sources.

Just this week, Meralco, the country’s largest power distributor, confirmed another expected generation charge hike, citing the weakening peso and higher procurement costs. This marks at least the fifth increase in power rates this year, further straining Filipino families already grappling with inflation and stagnant wages.

Consumers Want a Seat at the Table

Beyond demanding cheaper electricity, Kuryente.org is also calling for greater consumer participation in shaping energy policy — a move they believe would bring transparency, fairness, and accountability to a system often dominated by large corporations and private interest groups.

“Isa sa pangunahing adbokasiya namin ay ang pagkakaroon ng participation ng mga consumers sa iba’t ibang processes sa energy sector, katulad ng pagpaplano ng legislation,” said Umali.

(One of our main advocacies is ensuring consumer participation in the various processes of the energy sector, including legislative planning.)

This appeal reflects a broader public sentiment — that the people most affected by power policies are too often excluded from decisions that directly impact their livelihoods.

Proposed Measures for Relief

Kuryente.org has consistently proposed tangible reforms to lessen the burden of high power costs, including:

Removal or reduction of the Expanded Value-Added Tax (EVAT) on electricity;

Review of the Feed-in Tariff Allowance (Fit-All) and other universal charges;

Transparent auditing of generation and transmission costs; and

Promotion of renewable and locally-sourced energy to reduce dependence on imported fuel.

These proposals, according to the group, are not mere short-term remedies but part of a broader vision to make energy a basic right, not a luxury.

A Defining Moment for Energy Reform

As Congress deliberates the amendments to EPIRA, all eyes are now on lawmakers and regulators to deliver meaningful change — not just promises. For millions of Filipino consumers, “immediate relief” means more than policy adjustments; it means being able to turn on the lights without fear of another budget-breaking bill.

The challenge before the government is clear: to finally fulfill the decades-old promise of affordable, reliable, and inclusive energy for all. Anything less, critics say, would be another betrayal of the Filipino people’s trust in reform.