media of zero mercury working group

Mercury in skin lighting creams is one of the important global issues, on which Toxics Link is engaged with Zero Mercury Working Group (ZWMG) to monitor these creams in India since 2019. As per the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules 2020, mercury is not allowed to be used in cosmetics; however, unintentional mercury is permissible up to 1 ppm. Toxics Link has been working on the compliance issues and has found high mercury content in skin lightening creams sold on the online portals such as Flipkart and Amazon as well as in the offline retail market.In our recent study, we purchased samples from Vijayawada and got it tested at an accredited laboratory in New Delhi. Our study found mercury levels to be above 1 ppm in some of the samples, thus revealing that mercury-laden skin creams are still prevalent in the Indian markets. The study reiterated that the monitoring of mercury in skin lighting creams is a key challenge for the country.

Toxics Link had released its report on 11th Nov 2021 and also hold press conferences in Vijayawada and Mumbai from where samples were purchased. Considering the importance of the issue, the report was well received by the media across the country both by English as well as vernacular agencies. List of the media coverages are mentioned below .

Press Release: