FDA: Illegal skin products have mercury

Officials at the US Food and Drug Administration warn consumers some illegal skin cream, beauty and antiseptic soaps from abroad may contain mercury. Gary Coody, national health fraud coordinator at the FDA's Office of Regulatory Affairs said the products, marketed as skin lighteners and anti-aging treatments that remove age spots, freckles, blemishes and wrinkles, were manufactured abroad and sold illegally in the United States. "If you have a product that matches these descriptions, stop using it immediately," Coody said in a statement. Check the label of any skin lightening, anti-aging or other skin product for the words mercurous chloride, calomel, mercuric, mercurio or mercury. If there is no label or no ingredients are listed, do not use the product. U.S. federal law requires ingredients be listed on the label of any cosmetic or drug, Coody said. "Don't use products labeled in languages other than English unless English labeling is also provided," Coody said. The products -- found in seven states -- were often sold in shops in Latino, Asian, African or Middle Eastern neighborhoods and on the Internet. Consumers might have bought them while traveling in another country and brought them back for personal use. The FDA does not allow mercury in drugs or in cosmetics, except under very specific conditions, which these products do not meet, Coody said. "Sellers and distributors should not market these illegal products and may be subject to enforcement action, which could include seizure of the products and other legal sanctions," said Brad Pace of the Health Fraud and Consumer Outreach Branch within FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.