Eliminating Mercury-added Skin Lightening Products

On this page: Global Initiatives​​​​​​ | Resources​​​​​​ | Contact​​​​​​

Mercury-added skin lightening products (SLPs) are:

  • harmful cosmetics that are marketed to lighten skin or remove blemishes
  • often have deceptively labeled ingredients
  • damaging to the skin and liver through ingestion and inhalation
  • banned under the Minamata Convention on Mercury

In partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Health Organization, and the Zero Mercury Working Group, BRI leads global efforts to eliminate mercury-added skin lightening products.

Through targeted lab training, local capacity building, and strategic knowledge sharing, we are driving the transition toward #mercuryfreecosmetics.

Global Initiatives

Gabon, Jamaica, and Sri Lanka

Funded by the Global Environment Facility, project 10810 “Eliminating Mercury-added Skin Lightening Products – Gabon, Jamaica, Sri Lanka” wrapped up in 2026, led by UNEP and co-executed by BRI and WHO.

Africa

The GEF project 11877, “Eliminating mercury-added Skin Lightening Products (SLPs) in Africa,” brings together 13 African countries (Burkina Faso, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Guinea, Madagascar, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Togo, and Uganda) to work regionally and nationally to phase out mercury-added SLPs.

Latin America, the Caribbean & Asia

The GEF project 12353 expands this work to 5 countries across LAC and Asia.

Resources and Tools

To support knowledge sharing, BRI staff develop a range of materials on mercury-added SLPs, including customs training manuals, sampling protocols, and meeting reports and summaries.

Cosmetic Sampling and Analysis Protocol

Customs Training

Meeting Summaries and Reports

Scientific monitoring requires highly accurate, standardized methodologies. BRI's Toxicology Lab has analyzed over 1,000 SLP samples and this sampling protocol details best practices for testing products using X-Ray Florescence (XRF) and Direct Mercury Analysis (DMA).

EN
FR
ES

Customs and law enforcement have an incredibly important role in ensuring trade shipments meet national and international regulations and standards. BRI supports partners in training and capacity building to ensure officers have the knowledge and tools they need.

Guidance, Monitoring and Control Measures

EN
ES
FR

National and regional meetings create collaborative platforms to discuss project activities among groups of stakeholders.

Contact Information

Ashley Bastiansz, International Environmental Specialist
ashley.bastiansz@briwildlife.org

Tahlia Ali Shah, International Environmental Specialist
tahlia.alishah@briwildlife.org

Visit the UNEP project page for more information: www.unep.org/mercuryfreecosmetics

Photo Credits: Introduction photo © BanToxics. Global Initiatives photos © UNEP.