Manila, April 6 – The EcoWaste Coalition, a toxics watchdog group, called on the Pakistani government on Monday to address its apparent failure to enforce the global ban on cosmetics containing mercury. This appeal came ahead of World Health Day on Tuesday.
The Philippines-based group, which has been exposing dangerous skin-lightening products containing mercury additives since 2011, condemned Pakistan's persistent violation of the global ban on cosmetics containing mercury.
It cited the detection of extremely high levels of mercury, up to 33,970 parts per million (ppm), in 18 out of 20 newly purchased products labeled as made in Pakistan, including eight products bearing the Pakistan Standards mark.
"The relentless production of so-called beauty creams in Pakistan with hidden mercury content is unlawful and unacceptable. These highly contaminated products, which are exported without restriction and offered for sale in the market, pose a serious threat to the health of women and their families, especially young children," said Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition.
"We join the over 20 international health and environmental organizations that have previously called on Pakistan to stop the domestic production and global trade of these dangerous cosmetics containing mercury. If not now, when?" she questioned.
According to the group, from March 1 to 31 this year, the EcoWaste Coalition, as part of its observance of National Women’s Month, purchased a total of 20 products manufactured by 14 Pakistani cosmetic companies that claim to lighten the skin tone and remove signs of aging.
Thirteen of these products were purchased from third-party online sellers on two prominent e-commerce platforms based in the Philippines – Lazada and Shopee – and seven from beauty product stalls operating in Pasay City.
Five of the products were marked "export quality."
"Of the 20 products purchased and analyzed using a handheld Olympus Vanta M Series X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) device, 18 contained mercury up to 33,970 ppm, of which 11 had mercury above 20,000 ppm. All 18 products had mercury far exceeding the 15 ppm limit for waste contaminated with mercury and should be declared hazardous waste. Also, 13 of the mercury-tainted products were manufactured in 2025, two in 2024, and three in 2023, far past the 2020 and 2025 phase-out deadlines," the group stated.
The EcoWaste Coalition stressed that the discovery of highly contaminated skin lightening products underscores the urgent need for parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury, including Pakistan, to firmly enforce the ban on mercury in cosmetics.