Skin Lightening Products Found to Contain Mercury, Hydroquinone and/or Steroids

Skin Lightening Products Found to Contain

Mercury, Hydroquinone and/or Steroids

TESTED PRODUCTS | UPDATED 7/1/2021

These skin lightening products were found to contain mercury, hydroquinone and/or steroids.

Skin lightening products are rooted in colorism

Skin lightening products may contain toxic chemicals that can negatively impact the consumer’s

health and family living in the same space, such as children or elders. Reasons for using skin

lightening products vary, though are often rooted in colorism.

Colorism is defined as discrimination that privileges light-skinned people over people with

darker skin.

Promoting the love of the skin we were each naturally born with is one way to fight colorism.

Search for #LoveYourSkin to find resources and inspirational messages.

Learn more about skin lightening products that may contain mercury and how to Choose Health

and Avoid Skin Lightening

(https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/skin/gpfs.html).

SKIN LIGHTENING PRODUCTS FOUND TO CONTAIN MERCURY, HYDROQUINONE

AND STEROIDS

Skin Lightening Product and Level of Mercury, Hydroquinone and/or

Steroids Detected

In testing conducted by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and Minnesota

Department of Health (MDH), the skin lightening products pictured below exceeded the U.S.

Food and Drug Administration's limit of no more than one part per million (ppm) of mercury in

cosmetic products, and/or contain hydroquinone or steroids. While hydroquinone and steroids

can be legally found in some products intended for inflammatory skin conditions, those

products are typically intended for only short-term use when appropriate, and they must meet

stringent requirements for ingredient concentration, labeling and storage. Consumers may

sometimes see the steroid hydrocortisone as an ingredient in over the counter products,

however a product with unknown concentrations of any of these steroids is a higher health risk

to consumers because of their potential toxicity. Being exposed to the chemicals in these

products could cause serious health problems. DO NOT USE ANY OF THESE PRODUCTS.

This document only lists products tested by MPCA and MDH and were found to contain

mercury, hydroquinone and/or steroids. THIS LIST IS NOT MEANT TO BE COMPREHENSIVE. Not

all skin lightening products contain mercury, hydroquinone and/or steroids, BUT PRODUCTS

NOT LISTED HERE MAY ALSO CONTAIN MERCURY, HYDROQUINONE AND/OR STEROIDS.

Skin lightening products tested in other parts of the U.S. have also been found to contain

mercury, and mercury may also be present in products that have not been tested. See

information below about untested products and disposal of products containing mercury.

A wide variety of skin lightening products is available, from many different sources, and it isn't

possible to test all of them for mercury. For that reason, these products should always be used

with caution. At a minimum, always make sure that:

▪ The product you are using has an ingredients list AND

▪ Mercury is not listed as an ingredient. Mercury may be listed under a number of different

names, so check for anything that includes the words “calomel,” “mercuric,” “mercurous”

or “mercurio.”

Safely dispose of skin lightening products

If you have skin care products that may contain mercury, take them to a Household Hazardous

Waste (HHW) site in your area. See the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency website to find

your HHW collection site (https://www.pca.state.mn.us/waste/find-your-household-hazardous-

waste-collection-site).

MSII Express Peeling Pearl Cream

Mercury: 38,000 ppm

Rice Milk Whitening Cream

Mercury: 7,470 – 35,000 ppm

Steroids: Betamethasone, Betamethasone

17-Valerate

Meyyong Seaweed Super Whitening – Extra

Whitening & Face Lift

Mercury: 30,000 ppm

Steroids: Betamethasone, Betamethasone

17-Valerate

Monsepa Express Peeling

Mercury: 30,000 ppm

Pomegranate Whitening Set “Queenly Girl”

- 3 bottles, serum, and soap

Mercury: 0.53-29,000 ppm

Hydroquinone: Detected

Steroids: Betamethasone, Betamethasone

17-Valerate

Anti Acne Melasma Cream

Mercury: 23,000 ppm

Steroids: Betamethasone, Betamethasone

17-Valerate

Glutatione Cream White & Bright

Mercury: 20,000 ppm

Steroids: Betamethasone, Betamethasone

17-Valerate

Jing Zhuang Jinyiqi Beauty Whitening Set

Mercury: 0.69-20,000 ppm

Steroids: Betamethasone, Betamethasone

17-Valerate

Madame Organic Set – Whitening Arbutin,

Collagen Mask, Pearl Skin, and Sunscreen

Mercury: 18,000 ppm

Steroids: Clobetasol, Hydrocortisone,

Fluocinolone

Whitening Cream

Mercury: 17,000 ppm

Steroids: Betamethasone, Betamethasone

17-Valerate

Hynes - La Tia Mana

Mercury: 13,000 ppm

Steroid: Clobetasol

CCM Cream

Mercury: 3,940 – 13,000 ppm

Steroids: Betamethasone, Betamethasone

17-Valerate, Clobetasol

Cell Repair Placenta Sheep Cream

Mercury: 6,460 – 13,000 ppm

Steroids: Betamethasone, Betamethasone

17-Valerate

Polla Gold - Super White Perfects

Mercury: 12,000 ppm

Steroids: Betamethasone, Betamethasone

17-Valerate

Hnub Yiqi - Beauty Day & Night Cream

Mercury: 0.69 (day cream) ppm, 11,999

(night cream) ppm

Steroids: Betamethasone, Betamethasone

17-Valerate

Ba Be Special Cream

Mercury: 11,000 ppm

Steroids: Betamethasone, Betamethasone

17-Valerate, Clobetasol

88 Total White Underarm Cream

Mercury: 11,000

Avocado Night Cream

Mercury: 3,730 – 9,700 ppm

Steroids: Betamethasone, Betamethasone

17-Valerate, Clobetasol

Qian Li

Mercury: 9,300 ppm

Hua Shu Li

Mercury: 7,700 ppm

Steroids: Clobetasol

Rice Milk Whitening Cream - Lighten Skin

Mercury: 7,600 ppm

Steroids: Betamethasone, Betamethasone

17-Valerate

HIYADY Hyalulonic Filler & ULTRA White

Night Cream

Mercury: 7,400 ppm

Steroids: Betamethasone, Betamethasone

17-Valerate

Snow White Armpit Whitening Underarm

Cream

Mercury: 6,700 ppm

Super Gold Caviar Whitening Cream

Mercury: 5,700 ppm

Steroids: Betamethasone, Betamethasone

17-Valerate

Lovely Paris Extra Brightening

Mercury: 5,500 ppm

Steroids: Betamethasone, Betamethasone

17-Valerate

CCM Miss Beauty 7 Days White

Mercury: 3,700 – 7,290 ppm

Steroids: Betamethasone, Clobetasol

Polla Anti-Acne Cream

Mercury: 3,300 ppm

Mclean – Young and Fresh

Mercury: 2,400 ppm

Steroid: Clobetasol

Natural Cream Night Cream Skin Care

Mercury: 2,200 ppm

Steroids: Betamethasone, Betamethasone

17-Valerate, Clobetasol, Hydrocortisone,

Betamethasone Dipropionate

Milk Cream

Mercury: 1,700 – 4,500 ppm

Steroids: Betamethasone, Betamethasone

17-Valerate

OK Brand

Mercury: 1,600 – 1,860 ppm

Steroids: Betamethasone, Betamethasone

17-Valerate, Clobetasol

(Unmarked Jar with Rose Design)

Mercury: 1,300 ppm

Steroids: Betamethasone, Clobetasol

Specail Cream

Mercury: 800 ppm

Steroids: Betamethasone, Clobetasol,

Fluocinolone

Popieu Turmeric Facial Cream

Mercury: 420 ppm

Steroids: Betamethasone, Fluocinolone

B.T Special Cream

Mercury: 51 – 96 ppm

Steroid: Clobetasol

Promina Ginseng Pearl Cream

Mercury: 29 ppm

Qian MEI yellow and white jars

Mercury: 6.4 – 4,650 ppm

Facial Mask Anti-Oxidant and Whitening

Mercury: 17 ppm

Maiv Lis (red flower)

Mercury: 14 ppm

Steroids: Betamethasone, Fluocinolone

Yoko Yogurt Milky Body Lotion

Mercury: 9.3 ppm

Jing Zhuang Jinyiqi Whitening Sun Block

(red)

Mercury: 8.2 ppm

Silky Cool Extra

Mercury: 7 ppm

Arche Pearl Cream

Mercury: 5.2 ppm

Eity Eight - Dewy Face Glow

Mercury: 5 ppm

Mclean – Apricot Scrub

Mercury: 4.7 ppm

Pearl Cream

Mercury: 3.6 ppm

KA White – Night Serum

Mercury: 3.2 ppm

(No English Product Name)

Mercury: 1.6-2.2 ppm

Doctor Luei Speckle Killer

Mercury: 1.5-2 ppm

Hydroquinone: Detected

Fo Me Herbal Mask

Mercury: 2 ppm

Hiso Diamond MGT

Mercury: 1.6 ppm

Jing Zhuang Jinyiqi – Day Cream (pink)

Mercury: 1.5 ppm

Steroids: Betamethasone, Betamethasone

17-Valerate

12 Plus Whitening Less Shave

Mercury: 1.2 ppm

Darlene Lightening Star Fruit Soap

Mercury: 1.1 ppm

Kem Nam Tan Nhang

Steroid: Clobetasol

(No English Product Name)

Steroids: Betamethasone, Clobetasol

Maiv Lis – Tshuaj Pleev Plu Mos

Steroids: Betamethasone, Fluocinolone

Phone

Steroids: Betamethasone, Fluocinolone

One Today

Steroids: Betamethasone, Clobetasol

MSL Cream

Steroids: Betamethasone, Fluocinolone

Seaweed Extra Whitening & Facelift – Blue

Lid

Hydroquinone: Detected

Steroids: Betamethasone, Betamethasone-

17, Hydroquinone

Beauty Whitening Cream

Steroid: Clobeta

Additional Products Tested for Mercury

The following products were tested in 2011 and 2016 for mercury only; testing did not include

hydroquinone or steroids. DO NOT USE ANY OF THESE PRODUCTS.

BB Health & Beauty

Mercury: 54,000 ppm

Lemon Herbal Whitening Cream

Mercury: 33,000 ppm

(No English Product Name)

Mercury: 28,800 ppm

Whitening Cream

Mercury: 22,000 ppm

Lulanjina – Yellow Cream

Mercury: 16,700 (yellow) ppm, 12,800

(white) ppm

JIAOYAN

Mercury: 10,200 ppm

(Unlabeled Container) – packaged with soap

and anti-fungal cream

Mercury: 9,950 ppm

Prime White

Mercury: 9,590 ppm

BBC Creams

Mercury: 9,130 (green) ppm, 4,390 (blue) ppm, 9 (white) ppm

Crème Diana C.T.R.

Mercury: 6,370 ppm

CCM Perfect 501 White Cream

Mercury: 5,810 ppm

Be Be Special Cream

Mercury: 5,600 ppm

CCM Naomi 5 Day Special Cream

Mercury: 5,400 ppm

CCM Cream

Mercury: 5,180 ppm

Fasco

Mercury: 4,600 ppm

BB Cream

Mercury: 4,350 ppm

CCM V Special Cream

Mercury: 4,320 ppm

CCM Q10 Extra Whitening

Mercury: 4,090 ppm

GCM Whitening Special Cream

Mercury: 3,440 ppm

CCM Classic

Mercury: 3,170 ppm

Rojzy Jiali

Mercury: 2,230 ppm

Jiao Li

Mercury: 1,700 ppm

Mild Cream

Mercury: 1,630 ppm

(No English Product Name)

Mercury: 1,600 ppm

Cream Aghader

Mercury: 135 ppm

Savor Pour L’acne – Diana Soap

Mercury: 31 ppm

Minnesota Department of Health

Environmental Surveillance and Assessment Section

PO Box 64975

St. Paul, MN 55164-0975

www.health.state.mn.us

07/01/2021

To obtain this information in a different format, call: 651-201-4899.