COFEPRIS warns about the presence of mercury in these LIGHTENING CREAMS

Lightening creams have become a trend in the personal care world, promising to even out skin tone and reduce the visibility of spots, freckles, or hyperpigmentation. However, the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS) issued a "Risk Communication" warning of the presence of a highly toxic component in certain products of this type.

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According to the agency, various lightening cosmetics, marketed in forms such as creams, soaps, serums, and oils, were found to contain mercury, a substance hazardous to health that inhibits melanin production. Although its use in the cosmetics industry has been banned since the 2017 Minamata Convention, it still circulates illegally in several countries, including Mexico.

A report from the Zero Mercury Working Group revealed that more than 120 lotions and creams contained levels of this metal above the permissible limit of 1 part per million (ppm). At least seven contaminated products available online were found nationwide, including locally manufactured brands such as:

• Aunt Mana
• NunnCare
• Rebecca's Cream

The U.S. FDA even confirmed that "La Tía Mana" cream, made in Mexico, contains 5,432 ppm of mercury, thousands of times higher than the amount authorized by international regulations.

Health risks

Constant contact with cosmetics containing mercury can lead to immediate and chronic adverse effects:

• Short term: irritation, rashes, scarring and skin color changes.
• Long-term: damage to the nervous, immune, and renal systems; symptoms such as tremors, memory loss, anxiety, hypertension, and even nephrotic syndrome, which compromises kidney function.

Vulnerable groups, such as pregnant women, nursing infants, and young children, face a greater risk, as the metal can cross the placenta or be transmitted through breast milk, directly impacting children's neurological development.

Recommendations of the authority

COFEPRIS urged the public to avoid purchasing products without labels in Spanish, without a clear list of ingredients, or sold on digital platforms. He emphasized that the sale and distribution of cosmetics containing mercury is illegal in Mexico, even through social media or parcel services.

He also recommended that those who have used this type of cream and experience symptoms such as irritation, tremors, weakness or kidney problems, go immediately for a medical evaluation to receive timely treatment.

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Finally, the institution urged citizens to report the sale of suspicious products in order to protect public health and prevent more people from being exposed to this harmful substance. For more information, click here.

With information from Cofepris and the Ministry of Health

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