1 February 2026, Quezon City.   Ten retail stores were found selling contaminated skin lightening products despite the unrelenting action by the Quezon City Government to stop the unlawful trade of contraband cosmetics laced with mercury, a hazardous and toxic pollutant.

The toxics watchdog EcoWaste Coalition announced it was able to purchase in Quezon City skin whitening products flagged by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for being sold without the required authorization, or for containing mercury, a chemical not permitted in cosmetic product formulations.

Ahead of the first anniversary of Quezon City Executive Order No. 2025-2 signed by Mayor Joy Belmonte on February 12 last year, creating a task force for the implementation of Quezon City Ordinance No. 2767, series of 2018, the group conducted a rapid monitoring from January 23 to 26, 2026, to verify the current retail landscape as regards the illegal sale of FDA-flagged mercury-laden cosmetics.

“We carried out our latest investigation to support the nonstop efforts of the Quezon City Health Department (QCHD), particularly its Food-Drug Regulation Section, which is the lead unit in charge of enforcing the said ordinance and executive order,” said Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition.  

“Our monitoring shows that the problem persists despite the devoted work of the city’s Food-Drug Regulation Officers to seek business compliance with the ban on mercury-added cosmetics,” she said. “We urge the QCHD to go after the violators and to remain steadfast in upholding Ordinance 2767 for the health and safety of the people and the environment.”

Of the 55 beauty product kiosks and stores checked, 45 were found not selling FDA-flagged cosmetics at the time of monitoring, with most vendors saying “bawal na.”

However, 10 retail outlets located in Barangays Bagbag, Commonwealth, Novaliches Proper, Payatas A, Socorro (Cubao), San Bartolome, and Talipapa were found selling one or more FDA-flagged cosmetics, particularly 88 Total White Underarm Cream, Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene, and Goree Day & Night Beauty Cream.

Of the 10 non-compliant retailers, seven were discreetly selling the forbidden commodities. In contrast, three stores openly display the proscribed items and offer them as if they were legal to sell.

Sold for P250 to P300 each, mercury-laced Goree from Pakistan and 88 Total White from Thailand have been banned in the Philippines and several other countries for containing mercury, which will breach the established limit for mercury in waste by several magnitudes, the EcoWaste Coalition noted.

The Minamata Convention on Mercury, which explicitly banned mercury in cosmetics, established a 15 mg/kg (or 15 ppm) threshold for total mercury in wastes contaminated with mercury and its compounds.

As per X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) screening conducted by the EcoWaste Coalition for the FDA-flagged products bought during its latest monitoring in Quezon City, the analyzed products contain 1,840 ppm to 29,500 ppm of mercury.

The three samples of 88 Total White Underarm Cream contain 1,840 ppm to 2,091 ppm of mercury as per XRF screening; the four samples of Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene contain 27,130 ppm to 29,170 ppm of mercury; and the three samples of Goree Day & Night Beauty Cream contain 27,30 ppm to 29,500 ppm of mercury.

Exposure to mercury in skin lightening products has been linked to skin rashes, uneven color and scarring, digestive, immune, nervous, and renal system damage, as well as anxiety and depression.

The EcoWaste Coalition, a non-profit organization advocating for a zero waste and toxics-free society, has been tracking cosmetics and other consumer products containing mercury and other substances harmful to public health and the environment.

 Reference:
https://quezoncity.gov.ph/public-notice/an-ordinance-banning-the-manufacture-distribution-and-sale-of-mercury-containing-skin-whitening-cosmetics-in-quezon-city/

http://libros.quezoncitypubliclibrary.org:8080/jspui/bitstream/123456789/39222/1/Ordinance%20No.%20SP-2767%2CS-2018.pdf

https://ecowastecoalition.blogspot.com/2025/02/ecowaste-coalition-applauds-quezon-city.html

EcoWaste Coalition
78-A Masigla Extension, Barangay Central, 1100 Quezon City, Philippines
Phone: +632-82944807 E-Mail: info@ecowastecoalition.org
Website: http://ecowastecoalition.blogspot.com