A toxics watchdog has warned the public against purchasing mercury-laden cosmetic products being sold online.
skin-lightening products containing mercury, a melanin pigment-inhibiting chemical that can damage the brain, nervous system, and kidneys, as well as the skin.unauthorized Temulawak Day & Night Cream supposedly made in Malaysia contains mercury “above one part per million , the maximum limit set for mercury as heavy metal contaminant under the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive .
According to the watchdog, it utilized a handheld Olympus M Vanta X-Ray Fluorescence analyzer to verify the presence of mercury in the sample.Even before the announcement of BPO, the group said, “In 2022, the Food and Drug Administration of the Philippines issued Advisory No. 2022-1347 warning the public against the purchase and use of Temulawak products, including the Day & Night Cream, for having no valid Certificate of Product Notification. Under Republic Act No. 9711, the sale of any health product without the proper authorization from the FDA is prohibited,” it said.