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High levels of mercury detected in facial cream sold online: HSA

SINGAPORE — A facial cream that was being sold on several online platforms, including Lazada and Qoo10, has been found to contain high levels of mercury, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said on Monday (May 22).

Royal Expert Whitening Cream. Photo: HSA

Royal Expert Whitening Cream. Photo: HSA

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SINGAPORE — A facial cream that was being sold on several online platforms, including Lazada and Qoo10, has been found to contain high levels of mercury, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said on Monday (May 22).

The HSA was alerted about the product - Royal Expert Whitening Cream - by the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) and tests on several samples from various online platforms found that all the samples tested positive for high mercury levels.

Mercury is a toxic substance that can cause rash, skin discolouration and blotching, or even affect a person’s kidneys and nervous system in the long-term. It is prohibited for use as an ingredient in cosmetic products.

In a statement on Monday, CASE said it had found 3,604 μg/g of mercury in the product, which was much higher than the permissible level (less than 1μg/g).

Consumers who have purchased or are using this product are advised to stop using and discard them immediately.

The HSA has directed the web administrators of online platforms to remove all listings of the product from their websites.

Both Lazada and Qoo10 have taken down listings of the product, according to a check by TODAY.

The HSA added that it will take action against any sellers of Royal Expert Whitening Cream. Anyone who supplies illegal health products could be jailed up to three years and/or fined up to S$100,000.

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