A recent investigation has uncovered a disturbing trend in India’s online beauty market: fairness creams containing dangerously high levels of mercury are being sold unchecked on major e-commerce platforms, posing serious health risks to unsuspecting consumers.

The New Delhi-based non-profit Toxics Link tested eight popular skin-lightening products purchased from Amazon India. Shockingly, seven of the eight creams—manufactured in Pakistan, Thailand, and other countries—contained mercury levels far exceeding the permissible limit of 1 part per million (ppm) set by Indian regulators. Some samples registered mercury concentrations as high as 27,431 ppm.

Among the brands flagged were:

– InFocus Professional Pearl Herbal Beauty Cream

– Faiza Beauty Cream

– Chandni Whitening Cream

– Goree Beauty Cream

– New Fresh and White Beauty Cream

– Sandal Beauty Cream

– Thailand’s 4K Plus Whitening Night Cream

Only Sandal Beauty Cream fell within legal mercury limits.

Health experts warn that mercury exposure through skin products can lead to kidney damage, skin disorders, and neurological issues. A separate study found that 25 out of 31 creams tested had mercury levels thousands of times above the legal threshold.

Despite these findings, many of these products remain freely available online, often marketed with misleading claims and without proper regulatory oversight. The revelations come ahead of the Minamata Convention meeting, a global treaty aimed at reducing mercury pollution.

Consumer safety advocates are calling for urgent action from Indian authorities and e-commerce platforms to ban these toxic imports, enforce stricter product screening, and educate buyers about the dangers of mercury-laced cosmetics.