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UNEP is taking a stand against toxic skin-lightening products—exposing the dangers of harmful chemicals while championing the beauty, inclusion, and equity of all skin tones. Together, we can challenge colorism, stop the manufacture and trade of mercury containing cosmetics, and shift mindsets toward a safer and more inclusive future.
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Popular skin-lightening products widely available on Amazon have been found to contain mercury levels far exceeding permissible limits, an assessment repeatedly highlighted by the New Delhi-based non-profit Toxics Link.
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Out of eight samples tested, seven failed, showing mercury concentrations thousands of times higher than the legal limit in India. A global mercury watchdog has found that the e-commerce giant Amazon is selling dangerously high levels of illegal mercury-containing skin lightening products (SLPs) in India, as well as in countries like Mexico and the UAE.
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Pakistan’s obsession with fair skin has fueled a dangerous market for skin whitening creams, many of which are found to contain harmful levels of mercury. The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has launched an inquiry into companies suspected of using mercury in their products, which is banned in many countries due to its toxicity.
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The New York (NY), US, Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has ordered three companies to immediately stop selling cosmetics that contain unlawful and dangerous levels of mercury.
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A court in India has given the death penalty to a man for burning alive his wife over her skin colour.
In her statements before her death, Lakshmi had said that her husband Kishandas "routinely taunted her for being dark skinned".
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When Iya Kande’s youngest son turned two months old, she began using a skin-lightening soap on his face and body.
Kande, whose last name has been changed to protect her identity, lives in northern Nigeria. She was hoping a fairer complexion would ingratiate the boy with his grandmother, who like many in the region had come to equate light skin with beauty.
But within weeks, the child’s skin began to blister and break out in rashes. It wasn’t until months later that Kande learned the cause. The soap was laced with mercury.
Kingston, Jamaica, 23 July 2025 (PAHO/WHO) – The Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW), in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), has taken an important step in addressing the harmful effects of mercury in skin lightening products (SLPs). Through two targeted workshops, healthcare workers (HCWs) from across Jamaica were trained to identify and communicate the dangers associated with mercury-containing SLPs, in support of national and global public health goals.
The next time you apply that skin-lightening cream or your eye makeup, think again. It might contain the harmful chemical element mercury. The Government of India is now even mulling a ban on mercury-based cosmetics owing to the dangers they pose to the human body.
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At its 69th Council Meeting, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) approved a new work program that includes three major mercury-related projects across Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2 June 2025 — In an effort to strengthen global efforts on mercury monitoring and control, a weeklong series of technical trainings and coordination events is underway from 2–6 June 2025 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is implementing a Japan-funded project called “Project for promoting the Minamata Convention on Mercury by making the most of Japan's knowledge and experiences” to support its member states for the implementation of the Convention. The project has a special focus on the area of information exchange, awareness and education, research, development, and monitoring.
HARARE – Members of Parliament on Wednesday sounded the alarm over the widespread use of skin-lightening creams by both men and women in the country, and pushed for stiffer laws to stop the import of such products.
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Kingston, Jamaica, 05 May 2025 (PAHO): The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW), hosted a workshop on April 30 to educate healthcare workers on the dangers of mercury in skin lightening products (SLPs). The session formed part of the Global Environment Facility (GEF)-funded project “Eliminating Mercury in SLPs,” implemented by WHO and the Biodiversity Research Institute in partnership with the Governments of Gabon, Jamaica, and Sri Lanka.
In support of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on March 21st, the Zero Mercury Working Group and WE ACT for Environmental Justice are calling for the elimination of mercury-added skin lightening products (Hg/SLPs) as an important step towards protecting consumers and helping to end colorism.
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A mother in northern Nigeria is visibly upset as she clutches her two-year-old child, who has burns and discoloured skin on his face and legs.
The 32-year-old used skin-whitening products on all six of her children, under pressure from her family, with results that she now deeply regrets.
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As the world observes the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 21 March 2025, the United Nations Environment Programme, the Secretariat of the Minamata Convention and the Secretariat of the Global Mercury Partnership, are releasing a set of messages for public use and engagement that highlight the urgent need to stop the production and use of skin-lightening products containing mercury and other hazardous substances.
As the world observes the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 21 March, the United Nations Environment Programme, the Secretariat of the Minamata Convention and the Secretariat of the Global Mercury Partnership, are releasing a set of messages for public use and engagement that highlight the urgent need to stop the production and use of skin-lightening products containing mercury and other hazardous substances.
Skin-lightening products, including creams and soaps sold over the counter in New York City, can contain high amounts of mercury, a harmful metal.
Health Department has removed 1820 products from store shelves
Women make up 30% of the global artisanal and small-scale mining workforce, and they have critical roles to play in the movement to #MakeMercuryHistory & to safeguard communities from unsafe mining practices. Projects in the planetGOLD programme promote the participation and advancement of women who choose to work in this mining sector in order to provide for themselves and their families.
The end of 2024 was rich in significant events, including the fifteenth meeting of the Partnership Advisory Group (PAG-15), international meetings, as well as regional workshops under ongoing GEF funded projects on mercury-containing products.
Both the Secretariat of the Global Mercury Partnership and the Secretariat of the Minamata Convention are located at the International Environment House 1 in Geneva, Switzerland, where 4,010 mercury-containing lamps, including fluorescent tubes and compact fluorescent bulbs, are being replaced with energy-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) alternatives.
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA—January 30, 2025 —Today, Plaintiffs Larry Lee and As You Sow reached a settlement with Amazon concluding a nearly decade-long lawsuit addressing the sale on Amazon.com of brightening and lightening skin creams containing mercury. This settlement prohibits Amazon from selling skin lightening creams that contain mercury in excess of FDA limits.
Following a two-day technical workshop, the event culminated in January 22 with the adoption of the Libreville commitment on the elimination of mercury-containing skin-lightening cosmetics in Africa. This agreement calls for regional collaboration to foster stronger regulations, enhanced enforcement measures and public awareness campaigns to combat these harmful products.
World Health Organization Country Office for India (WHO India) hosted the inception meeting of the Project on Phasing Out Mercury-Measuring Services from Indian Healthcare on 17 December 2024, followed by the National Project Steering Committee meeting on 18 December 2024 in New Delhi.
The overall goal of the UNEP Global Mercury Partnership is to protect human health and the environment from the releases of mercury.