Mercury salts are used in skin lightening creams and is also added to some cosmetics, such as mascara, for its properties as a preservative, preventing the growth of bacteria and fungi.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the main health risk from mercury exposure is kidney damage, but the use of these products can also result in allergic reactions, skin irritation, or neurotoxicity (harm to the nervous system). In addition, mercury from these products is eventually released into wastewater where it enters the environment and, under certain conditions, is absorbed into the food web, contaminating the food we eat.

Article 4 of the Minamata Convention on Mercury prohibits the manufacture, import, or export of specific mercury-added products after 2020. Under this Article, all cosmetics will be required to have mercury concentration of less than 1 part per million (ppm). To effectively implement this regulation, customs agents across the globe will need an efficient method of identifying products with high mercury content.

BRI tests skin lightening and anti-aging creams for mercury content in order to meet two goals: (1) to build a global database on mercury content of cosmetic products; and (2) to provide customs agents with the means to efficiently screen imported products for the presence of mercury. Roughly 10% of tested products contained mercury, in concentrations ranging from 4 to 16,000 ppm.

In addition to helping meet the objectives of the Minamata Convention, participation in this sampling effort provides important country-specific mercury data on products that may affect your health. Download a copy of our 2-page flyer to learn more about how you can participate in our efforts to sample mercury in cosmetic products. Phasing Out Mercury-added Products: Skin Lightening Products and Other Cosmetics