NEW DELHI: Your make-up may be leaving you with a touch of toxic heavy metals, with potential health implications over long-term use. A study by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) claims to have found high levels of mercury in several well-known national and international brands of skin-whitening creams and chromium in several brands of lipsticks.
High levels of mercury are associated with kidney damage, skin discoloration and scarring, while chromium is a carcinogen.
Despite use of mercury being banned in cosmetics under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 44% of the 32 fairness creams that CSE tested reportedly contained mercury. It found chromium in 50% of 30 lipstick samples tested; and nickel in 43%. All the samples were purchased from a market in Delhi and tested at CSE's pollution monitoring lab. The samples also included some popular herbal products.
CSE compared the heavy metals found in the cosmetics with their acceptable daily intake (ADI) - the maximum amount of toxin that a person can be exposed to over a lifetime without any appreciable health risk. The results showed that whitening creams can contribute up to 71% of the ADI for mercury, depending on the product and the amount of cream used. Given that mercury is also ingested via food, water and air, chances are that a person using a mercury-laced cream may exceed the acceptable daily intake.
Lipstick users could be worse off. Among the brands that tested positive for nickel and chromium, that worst could expose a heavy user to over 15 times the safety limit for chromium, according to the study.
CSE researchers said only 14 of the companies making such products responded. Most of them said there was a "trace" presence and that the product was safe for long-term use. CSE researchers, however, argue that these toxins are avoidable altogether. "The fact that our lab did not find mercury in 56% of the products tested suggests that the industry has the capacity and wherewithal to clean up their act," said CSE director general Sunita Narain.
The CSE study said the worst defaulters in case of mercury concentration in fairness creams were Aroma Magic Fair lotion, a product of Blossom Kochhar Beauty Products Pvt Ltd, followed by Procter and Gamble's Olay Natural White and Pond's White Beauty of Hindustan Unilever.
When contacted, Hindustan Unilever told TOI, "We do not add mercury in our cosmetic products. Like all Unilever cosmetic products, all Pond's products (including Pond's White Beauty) are safe - with no added mercury and manufactured in accordance with good manufacturing practices and in line with BIS and US FDA limits on trace metals. All our products are approved by the FDA...and they comply fully to the guidelines in India...on all aspects including contaminants and heavy metals."
Blossom Kochhar Beauty Products Pvt Ltd and Procter and Gamble did not respond to TOI's queries.
In case of lipsticks, Hearts and Tarts (080V) shade of ColorBar had the highest concentration of chromium while LancomeLabsolu Nu-204 of L'Oreal India had the highest concentration of nickel. Lancome told TOI, "Our highest priority is the safety of our consumers. We do not use heavy metals as ingredients in our products and comply fully with Indian and International cosmetic regulations." ColorBar did not comment.
However, the products named above are not the only defaulters; many other brands tested by CSE were found to be containing these metals.
Shocking to the average user as it might be, scientists are taking a guarded view of the findings because cosmetics have always had trace amounts of heavy metals.
"Skin whitening agents are a wrong thing to use in any case. They are proven to damage the skin in the long run," said Alok Dhawan, Nanomaterial Toxicology Group of CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research. "It's a risk versus benefit scenario. If the findings of this report are true, it's good for customers to be aware. However, the effects completely depend on the length of usage and the amount used. Cosmetic companies are also evolving. They don't use ammonia, for instance, any more in hair colours. Long-term use of cosmetics with mercury will lead to health implications."
Mercury, Dhawan added, can not just cause damage to skin but to the environment when washed.
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