Toxic chemical watchdog EcoWaste Coalition found Rizal Province at risk for mercury exposure after detecting 28 stores dealing with products initially banned by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The coalition’s recent market monitoring conducted from August 24 to 28 discovered that some stores are still selling mercury-containing whitening creams that exceed the FDA’s prescribed maximum limit of one part per million (ppm). Using a portable X-ray fluorescence analyzer, the group executed a mercury screening test on illegal products and found alarmingly high mercury content.
Antipolo City, Rizal’s capital, had nine stores selling the Goree Beauty Cream from Pakistan, including one just a few steps away from the city hall. It contained 27,220 ppm, leading three of its variants to be banned by the FDA in 2017 and 2023. The two other variants were sold at a local Cainta mall and Taytay pharmacy.
Goree Gold 24K Beauty Cream contained 25,470 ppm, while Goree Day & Night Beauty Cream had 25,310 ppm. Some stores in Antipolo and Montalban were also peddling 88 Total White Underarm Creams from Thailand containing 2,623 ppm mercury. The FDA issued a warning against this product in 2021.
Additionally, a beauty store in Angono was found selling JJJ Magic Spots Removing Cream , which had been seized in 2010. The cream contained mercury levels of 1,302 ppm for the day formula and 994 ppm for the night formula. Other products, such as the 2015 FDA-banned S’Zitang 10-Day Whitenin.