Environmental health Investigations branch

Mercury in Skin Creams

About mercury in skin creams

Mercury is dangerous. It can cause serious health problems, even hospitalizations, for California residents and their families. Mercury is found in some skin creams made outside the United States. These creams are used to lighten age spots or get rid of wrinkles, freckles, acne, or other blemishes. Mercury in creams can poison the cream user. It can also poison children in the family who aren’t using the creams themselves. View our List of Face Creams Containing Mercury.

Skin creams with mercury are sold by individuals, in small markets or swap meets, or on the internet. They may not have a label and some have handmade labels. Creams with mercury can be homemade or artisanal creams, commercial creams from other countries, or well-known creams that someone has added mercury to.

Anyone using a cream like this or a cream on our list should do the following:

Immediately stop using the cream
Ask a doctor or care provider for mercury tests in blood and urine
Do not throw the cream in the garbage. Put it a zipped plastic bag
Contact us at (510) 981-4354 or send an email to AskEHIB@cdph.ca.gov

Educational materials and resources

For community members

List of Face Creams Containing Mercury - Web page
Methylmercury Consumer Alert (PDF) – Fact Sheet, English
Methylmercury Consumer Alert (PDF) – Fact Sheet, Spanish
Choosing a Safer Cream (PDF) - Fact Sheet, English
Some Face Creams Can Poison Children (Spanish-language products, PDF, 1.1MB) - Fact Sheet, English
Some Face Creams Can Poison Children (Southeast Asian products, PDF) - Fact Sheet, English ... Chinese ... Hmong ... Lao ... Tagalog ... Vietnamese
Some Face Creams Can Poison Children (South Asian products, PDF) - Fact Sheet, English ... Arabic ... Hindi ... Pashto ... Urdu
Woman in Coma after Using Skin Cream from Mexico, 2019 (PDF) - Community Alert
Mercury in Skin Creams Presentation to Inform Community Health Workers (PDF, 26 MB) - Presentation, Spanish only
The public service announcements in Spanish below aired during the month of July 2010 on Spanish-language radio throughout California to alert the public of face creams containing mercury. They are available only in Spanish. For more information, to request hard copies of an educational material, or for information in Spanish, please contact us at (510) 981-4354 or AskEHIB@cdph.ca.gov.

Para miembros de la comunidad (en español)

Lista de cremas faciales que contienen mercurio? - Página web

"Los peligros del mercurio en las cremas para la piel": Un video animado en español

Cómo elegir una crema de piel de manera más segura (PDF) - Hoja informativa
Algunas cremas para la cara pueden envenenar a la gente (PDF, 1.1MB) - Hoja informativa
Mujer en coma después de usar crema para la piel de México en 2019 (PDF) - Alerta Comuntaria
Presentación sobre mercurio en las cremas para informar a promotores de salud (PDF, 26 MB) - Presentación

CDPH Anuncio de Servicio Público

El mercurio en las cremas faciales - 30 Segundos (Anuncio de Servicio Público)
El mercurio en las cremas faciales - 60 Segundos (Anuncio de Servicio Público)

Este anuncio de servicio público fue emitido por radio en español durante el mes de julio de 2010 a lo largo de California para alertar al público acerca de las cremas para la cara que contienen mercurio. Para obtener más información, solicitar copias impresas del material educativo o información en español, comuníquese con nosotros con (510) 981-4354 o AskEHIB@cdph.ca.gov.

Unlabeled and handmade labeled skin creams

For health care providers

Severe Methyl Mercury Poisoning Linked to Adulterated Mexican Face Cream (PDF) - Health Care Provider Alert, one page, 2019
Mercury Poisoning Linked to Use of Skin-Lightening or Acne Creams from Mexico (PDF) - Health Alert, 2019
Methylmercury Toxicity from a Skin Lightening Cream Obtained from Mexico — California, 2019, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), 2019

Tia Mana Cream

For sellers of face creams

It Is Illegal to Sell Creams that Contain Mercury (Spanish-language Products, PDF) - Fact Sheet, English
It Is Illegal to Sell Creams that Contain Mercury (Southeast Asian Products, PDF) - Fact Sheet, English
Es ilegal vender cremas que contegan mercurio (Spanish-language Products, PDF) - Fact Sheet, Spanish

EHIB’s work with mercury

EHIB has been conducting poisoning investigations involving mercury in blemish-removing face cream products since 2010. We have tested creams in communities and identified dozens that have tested positive for mercury.

EHIB partners with local health departments and community-based organizations to collect potentially toxic creams from stores and swap meets. EHIB and community-based organizations provide education and training to community health workers, “promotores de salud,” and others who educate community members, especially in the Central Valley. EHIB also provides technical assistance to local health departments on poisoning cases.

In September 2019, a Sacramento woman was hospitalized in a semi-comatose state after using a Pond's-labeled skin cream tainted with mercury. The woman obtained the skin cream through an informal network that imported the cream from Mexico. The mercury was not added by the Pond's manufacturer, but by a third party after purchase. Please see the Sacramento County News Release for more information. See also Tulare County News Release (PDF).

Tainted Ponds Rejuveness Cream Mexican Pond's Rejuveness Cream, tainted, 2019