Toxic metal mercury, which is not allowed to be used in cosmetics in India, is found in 44 per cent of the fairness creams in India, a study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has found. It also found chromium and nickel in around fifty per cent of the lipstick samples it tested.
The CSE had also tested for lead and cadmium but they were not found in any of the products. The study also tested samples of anti-ageing creams and lip balms. But it did not find any heavy metal in anti-aging creams and lip balms. Mercury is not supposed to be present in cosmetic products. Their mere presence in these products is completely illegal and unlawful, said CSE’s director general Sunita Narain.
The CSE’s deputy director general Chandra Bhushan, who is also PML’s head, said, “What is coming out very clearly is that this sector has extremely weak regulations and almost no enforcement of whatever laws that exist. In an attempt to gauge the safety of the cosmetic products it tested, the CSE compared the levels of heavy metals found with their Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) limits. ADI is the maximum amount of a toxin that a person can be exposed to over a lifetime without any appreciable health risk.
For the study, the CSE tested 73 cosmetic products of four different categories for heavy metals. Thirty two fairness creams (26 for women and six for men) were tested for mercury. Thirty lipsticks, eight lip balms and three anti-ageing creams were tested for lead, cadmium, chromium and nickel. The samples included both Indian and the international cosmetic brands along with a few herbal products as well.
Bureau Report
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