Decade after mercury ban, toxic skin bleachers still on top retailer sites

A phone displays a French government recall notice for the skin-bleaching cream "Parley Goldie Beauty Cream," a product confirmed to contain mercury, in this photo taken in Paris on Sept. 4. | REUTERS

Sep 21, 2026

LONDON/NEW YORK – More than 20 banned skin-bleaching products containing mercury are available for purchase on third-party marketplaces run by Amazon, Temu and TikTok Shop in several countries, despite decades of efforts by health advocates and regulators to prevent their sale, a review of publicly available information found.

Regulators, companies and multinational entities have for years tried to coordinate efforts to take these products off shelves and websites. More than 150 nations are parties to the 2013 Minamata Convention that banned the manufacture, import or sale of mercury-containing products, which according to the World Health Organization can damage the kidneys, brain and nervous system.

But some sellers on e-commerce sites have become more sophisticated in their efforts to hide these products’ origins and ingredients. Some products removed from websites are being re-listed under misleading names or by different sellers soon after, the review found.

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