Warning Out on Two Underarm Whitening Creams with Mercury Content

The group bought Snow White Armpit Whitening Underarm Cream and 88 Total White Underarm Cream online. Their chemical analysis showed that both creams contained more mercury than the one part per million (ppm) limit set by the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive (ACD) and the Minamata Convention on Mercury.

Using an Olympus Vanta M Series X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyzer, the group found 3,035 ppm and 3,042 ppm of mercury in the 88 Total White and Snow White underarm creams.

According to their labels, both goods were made in November 2022, and both tempted buyers with the promise of decreasing body odour while offering a whitening effect and a smooth skin tone.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that being exposed to the inorganic mercury in skin lightening treatments can damage the kidneys, cause skin rashes, change the colour of the skin, and leave scars. It can also make the skin less resistant to bacterial and fungal infections.