FDA Warns Americans with Mercury-Contained Beauty Products, Says It’s Dangerous to One’s Health

The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) is warning women to avoid beauty products that contain mercury. FDA said that the toxic metal has been found in soaps, skin-care products, and cosmetics carried by shops that tend to cater to African-American, Latino, Asian, and Middle Eastern clients.

The agency has identified 35 potentially poisonous beauty products, including ones under the brands Crema Aguamary, Diana, Lusco, and Stillman’s which are produced in other countries and sold illegally in the U.S.

Many professional cosmetologists across the country—such as those who have in Kentucky with a Kentucky Cosmetology CE are familiar with the issue of hazardous ingredients and other potentially toxic substances in certain cosmetology products.  Exposure to a sufficient amount of mercury can damage internal organs. “It can damage the kidneys and the nervous system, and interfere with the development of the brain in unborn children and very young children,” pointed out Dr. Charles Lee, a senior medical adviser at the FDA.

In fact, just inhaling the products can cause harm. The U.S. Consumer Product and Safety Commission warned that breathing mercury vapor can cause nerve damage. Symptoms include tremors, changes in vision or hearing, and numbness in the hands and feet. Mercury poisoning can also cause emotional damage, with memory problems, depression, and irritability as common symptoms.

Meanwhile, the latest research by Organic Monitor has found that few brands touting their cosmetics as “natural” and “organic” are living up to their claims.

Organic Monitor surveyed more than 50 cosmetic brands and ranked them by their degree of “naturalness.” Not surprisingly, the study discovered that the majority of formulations do not bear out their marketing claims. For instance, products that claim to be 100-percent natural had synthetic preservatives, emollients, and surfactants. Some brands with “natural” claims were conventionally formulated, while several organic cosmetics failed altogether to meet natural standards.

However, the study did show that products certified by a recognized agency received the highest ranking. Although, some products contain certified organic ingredients, the formulations still have synthetic ingredients not common to natural and organic products.

Organic Monitor promotes the role of natural or organic certification to finding continuity to the industry with rigorous standards and guidelines on allowed natural formulation processes and ingredients. Organic Monitor encourages companies to become certified and establish trust with consumers by helping them distinguish a truly natural product from a falsely labeled one.