View source for FOCUS-Skin Whitening Creams Remain Online Despite Mercury Findings

<br>By Martinne Geller<br> <br>LONDON, July 10 (Reuters) - Skin-whitening creams identified as containing potentially dangerous levels of mercury continue to be sold online more than seven months after a watchdog group raised the alarm, including on platforms run by eBay, Amazon.com and Alibaba, a Reuters review of the sites shows.<br> <br>The findings come at a time when skin lightening, a multi-billion dollar industry especially popular in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, is under renewed criticism for promoting light skin as a beauty ideal.<br> <br>Many countries ban or restrict mercury in creams, which can damage the kidneys, brain and nervous system.<br><br>[https://www.ebay.co.uk/signin/ ebay.co.uk]An international ban on manufacturing products with mercury in them comes into effect at end-2020.<br> <br>The Zero Mercury Working Group (ZMWG), an international coalition of non-governmental organizations, issued a report last November that found unacceptable levels of mercury in 95 skin-lightening creams out of 158 samples tested.<br> <br>The tests looked for concentrations of mercury above 1 part per million, the level set in a 2017 global treaty, and found levels ranging from 1.9 to 131,000 ppm.<br> <br>Reuters didn't independently confirm the levels of mercury found in the brands cited by ZMWG.<br> <br>The samples were sold under more than 20 brand names, mostly by smaller manufacturers in developing countries that had been flagged by governments or in previous testing.<br> <br>Major global brands from the likes of Unilever , L'Oreal and Procter &amp; Gamble were not flagged and were not included.<br> <br>ZMWG bought more than two-thirds of the creams online, including on Flipkart, majority-owned by Walmart; South Africa's Bidorbuy; Nigeria's Jumia; and Lazada and Daraz, which are both part of the Alibaba Group and operate in Southeast and South Asia, respectively, as well as on Amazon and [http://www.revistapuntoyseguido.com/web/mantener-el-ritmo-del-mercado/ eBay], the coalition said.<br> <br>One month after its report came out, ZMWG said that eBay, Lazada and Daraz had pledged to remove its high-mercury product listings but had not done so, while Amazon removed [https://www.cnet.com/best-products/ products] from its U.S.<br><br>and EU platforms, but not in India.<br> <br>Reuters checks in late June showed at least 19 listings of the products on different country sites run by all seven e-commerce platforms, however.<br> <br>After Reuters raised the issue, the platforms scrapped most of the specific listings or promised to do so.<br>But as of July 10, brands cited by ZMWG continued to pop up, including on Daraz, Amazon, and eBay.<br> <br>Goree Cosmetics in Pakistan and Bangkok-based Smilephan, two companies whose name brand products were available on several sites and showed high mercury levels, told Reuters they do not use mercury and warned about counterfeits.<br> <br>Smilephan shared with Reuters an ingredient list, test reports from 2019 and 2011 showing no mercury in samples, and copies of certifications it said attest to regular audits.<br> <br>"We strongly believe those are not our original products," said Songkiat Kulwuthivilas, Smilephan's assistant managing director.<br><br>The company no longer sells its Pop Popular brand in Africa because of the excess of counterfeits, he said.<br> <br>EBay said it would sweep its sites to remove listings and update surveillance filters imposed in December that had already blocked 250 listings.<br> <br>"We comply with local restrictions and also we have a long history of partnering with rights owners, industry groups and law enforcement," eBay spokeswoman Ashley Settle said.<br> <br>Daraz told Reuters it would to take "necessary action" if the listings were found to violate its policies or harm customers.<br> <br>An Amazon spokeswoman in India said the company was investigating, but that on its 'marketplace,' responsibility rests solely with the seller.<br> <br>A California judge in 2019 ruled that Amazon was immune from liability for third-party sellers in a case involving warnings about mercury in skin-lightening creams.<br> <br>"Most people buying on Amazon have no idea that Amazon isn't anything like walking down to your grocery store," said food safety lawyer Bill Marler.<br><br>(Reporting by Martinne Geller in London; Additional reporting by Siddharth Cavale in Bengaluru, Alexis Akwagyiram in Lagos, Ayenat Mersie in Nairobi and Promit Mukherjee in Johannesburg Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)<br><br>adverts.addToArray("pos":"inread_player")Advertisement