Hazardous Products: Mercury in Soaps and Creams

Certain skin-lightening creams and medicated soaps can contain harmful levels of mercury. Colorism, prejudice in favor of lighter skin tones, can be the motivation behind skin lightening. People who use skin lightening creams and soaps containing mercury can put their health at risk.

Mercury is a harmful metal that can damage the skin, nervous system, and kidneys. People who have been exposed to mercury may not look or feel sick, but repeated exposures can result in skin rash, tingling or numbness, tremors, irritability, memory loss and depression. Mercury poisoning can be especially harmful to children, affect a fetus, and increase the risk of miscarriage during pregnancy. The longer and more often someone uses products containing mercury, the greater the health risk.

Mercury can enter the body when these products are applied to the skin. People who are not using the products themselves can also be exposed to the harmful effects of mercury by breathing in vapors released by the products and by coming into contact with bed linens, towels, or other clothing contaminated by the products.

How to Identify Dangerous Soaps and Creams

Skin lightening products containing mercury may be available for sale over the counter or on the Internet. These types of products are banned in the United States. These products are described as beauty creams, pearl creams, skin bleaching, fading, evening, brightening, or whitening products. They are usually marketed as treatments for uneven skin tone, acne, age spots, freckles and wrinkles. Mercury is usually not listed as an ingredient on product packaging.

Products that list mercury as an ingredient should be avoided. However, products may contain mercury, even if it is not listed as an ingredient on the label. Products listed below have been found to contain high levels of mercury and should be avoided. New Yorkers should also avoid products that:

• Do not list any active ingredients, or have missing or incomplete ingredient lists
• Are manufactured abroad
• Are called “beauty creams,” “pearl creams,” or “whitening creams” and claim to treat freckles, age spots, wrinkles, acne, or uneven skin tone

Listed below are some skin-lightening creams and medicated soaps that have been found to contain high levels of mercury. Click on the warning sign links to print signs.

Call 311 to report sales of these prohibited products in NYC stores.

If You Have Used These Products

Immediately stop using skin-lightening creams and medicated soaps that contain elevated mercury or list mercury as an ingredient.

If you use non-prescription products to lighten your skin or for skin disorders or are experiencing symptoms of mercury exposure, talk to your doctor and ask for a blood and urine mercury test. If you do not have a doctor, call 311.

Appropriately dispose of mercury containing products. Do not throw these products in the trash. Place unused product(s) in a sealed plastic bag until they can be disposed of properly at a SAFE Disposal Event. Thoroughly wash your hands and other exposed body parts that touched the products. You should wash surfaces that came into contact with these products.

Be sure to keep these and other hazardous consumer products out of reach of children.

For more information about mercury and health, call the NYC Poison Center 24/7 at (212) POISONS (764-7667). Interpretation is available for people who speak languages other than English.

Additional Resources

• Skin-Lightening Cream Health Warning Sign (PDF)
• Skin-Lightening Creams Warning Postcard (PDF)
  Other Languages: Español | 繁體中文 | 简体中文 | বাংলা | Français | اردو
• Lead, Mercury and Arsenic in Consumer Products Factsheet (PDF)
  Other Languages: Español | 中文 | 简体中文 | Français | العربية | हिन्दी | اردو | ਪੰਜਾਬੀ | Português | Русский | ײִדיש | বাংলা
• Information for Health Care Providers on Mercury Exposure and Poisoning (PDF)
• Population-Based Inorganic Mercury Biomonitoring
• FDA: Skin Product Safety
• FDA: Skin Products Containing Mercury

More Information

• Mercury
• Hazardous Consumer Products
• Cosmetics and Religious Powders