Wednesday, August 3, 2016

FDA WARNS MERCURY DANGERS IN IMPORTED BEAUTY PRODUCTS



In its latest consumer update last week FDA warned last week of mercury ingredient in the beauty products.  According to FDA, most of these products are being marketed as skin lighteners, anti-aging treatments that remove age spots, freckles, blemishes and wrinkles.  Most of these products are manufactured abroad and sold illegally in US. These are being promoted on line on social media sites, and sold through mobile apps.
Some time back Forbes columnist had described how chemicals, heavy metals, bacteria, and other hazardous ingredients are turning up in makeup, skin creams, and hair styling products, and FDA investigation then had found imported skin creams containing toxic levels of mercury and other heavy metals. FDA therefore had to warn against serious risk to users from mercury contamination.
The list of dangerous skin creams is fairly long, but — so far at least — contains only products you’d purchase from an import store or Latino, Asian or Middle Eastern market, and no American-made brands or products. The creams are intended primarily for “skin lightening” and anti-aging and include Stillman’s skin bleach cream, Diana skin lightening formula, and numerous products with labels in Chinese, Hindi, and other languages.
If you’ve been using a lightening skin cream that’s imported from China, India, Mexico, or some other exotic locale, check the label for mercury. But be aware the ingredient might also be listed as  “mercurous chloride,” “calomel,” “mercuric,” or “mercurio.”  If there is no list of ingredients, don’t use the product. Symptoms of mercury poisoning include tremors, memory problems, irritability, and changes in vision or hearing.
When the FDA tested hundreds of lipsticks following an alert issued by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, the investigations found lead in all the lipsticks it tested, showing high lead levels up to 3.06 ppm. The brands that tested positive for lead levels  included L’Oreal, Revlon, Avon, and Cover Girl. Five of the ten most contaminated lipsticks were manufactured by L’Oreal, USA. Even “natural” brand Burt’s Bees had one lip shimmer that tested in the middle range for lead. 
Natural organic beauty formulations are the only beauty care products that consumers can use safely and benefit from. (www.herballyradiant.com)

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