16 Oct 2023 --- Despite being banned by a global treaty, hazardous mercury-added skin-lightening products (SLPs) are still sold worldwide by some of the biggest online retailers to unsuspecting consumers, according to a new Zero Mercury Working Group (ZMWG) report. NGO partners across 12 countries purchased 213 suspect SLPs from 23 online platforms. Out of the products observed, 191 (90%) had mercury concentrations ranging from 1.18 to 74,800 ppm of mercury, above the 1 ppm limit mandated for cosmetics by many governments as well as the Minamata Convention on Mercury — a global agreement on environment and health, adopted in 2013.
