Women using beauty products beware! Using fairness creams and lipsticks could be toxic due to the presence of heavy metals as mercury, chromium and nickel, says a study conducted by Centre for Science and Environment.
The findings show that top brands of fairness creams endorsed by prominent film stars had high proportion of mercury. The lipsticks on the other hand were found to contain chromium and nickel.
The study pointed out that the Drugs and Cosmetics Acts and Rules of India, bans the use of mercury in cosmetics. Hence, their mere presence in these products is illegal. India has weak regulations and almost no enforcement, which is why some companies are getting away with flouting the law.
According to the study, 73 cosmetic products of four different categories were tested for heavy metals. These include 32 fairness creams (26 for women and six for men) which were tested for mercury. Further 30 lipsticks, eight lip balms and three anti-ageing creams were tested for lead, cadmium, chromium and nickel. The samples under scanner included Indian and international cosmetic brands along with a few herbal products.
The results found mercury in 14 fairness creams in the range of 0.10 parts per million (ppm) to 1.97 ppm. Aroma Magic Fair lotion, a product of Blossom Kochhar Beauty Products Pvt ltd, had the highest mercury level at 1.97 ppm, followed by Olay Natural White (1.79 ppm), a product of Procter and Gamble, India, and Ponds White Beauty (1.36 ppm) of Hindustan Unilever ltd.
Amongst the lipsticks, Chromium was found in 15 out of 30 lipsticks tested in the range of 0.45 ppm to 17.83 ppm. Hearts & Tarts (080V) shade of ColorBar had the highest concentration. Nickel was found in 13 out of 30 products tested in the range of 0.57 to 9.18 ppm, with lancome l’absolu Nu-204 (lipstick) of l’Oreal
India Pvt. ltd. containing the highest concentration. According to the study, mercury that is present in fairness creams can damage kidneys and may cause rashes, skin discolouration and scarring. It can also cause anxiety, depression, psychosis and peripheral neuropathy. Chromium present in lipsticks on the other hand is known to be carcinogenic in nature.
According to CSE’s Chandra Bhushan, “Manufacturers often get away on the pretext that toxic metals are present in trace levels. It is important that regulators set limits for such products and enforce them.”