Mercury-laden skin whiteners seized

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) again warned the public to be cautious of banned cosmetic products as it recently seized in a Binondo mall close to P100,000 worth of skin-whitening items containing mercury which can cause skin and kidney damage.

In a raid on Friday, the FDA seized from five stalls at the 999 Mall the banned Goree Day and Night Whitening Cream Oil Free and Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene with SPF 30 Avocado and Aloe Vera.

The FDA banned these skin-whitening products in October last year after these were found to contain toxic mercury levels beyond the 1 ppm (parts per million) limit set by the agency. —Jovic Yee