In the past few years, FDA and state health officials have discovered numerous products marketed as skin lighteners that contain mercury, and there have been cases in which people exposed to such products have had mercury poisoning or elevated levels of mercury in their bodies. FDA has an import alert in place that lets our field staff know that the agency has enough evidence or other information to refuse admission of shipments of mercury-containing skin products.

The table below provides the mercury content of several skin lighteners that FDA laboratories have tested. Consumers should beware purchasing and using any such products. If you have questions, call your health care professional or the Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222; it is open 24 hours a day.

More information can be found in the Consumer Update, Mercury Poisoning Linked to Skin Products.

2019 Skin Products Found to Contain Mercury