FDA Warns That Common Skin Lightening Creams May Contain a Banned Poison

The FDA has warned that many skin lightening and brightening creams, soaps, and lotions sold in the U.S. contain mercury or hydroquinone — two ingredients that are either banned or not approved for over-the-counter sale. These products are often found in shops serving Hispanic/Latino, Asian, African, and Middle Eastern communities, but they can turn up anywhere.

The danger is compounded by the fact that these ingredients are frequently absent from the label entirely. A product can contain dangerous levels of mercury and still list nothing concerning on its packaging. That makes it very hard for shoppers to protect themselves.

Mercury: Banned in Cosmetics and Dangerous to Your Whole Household

Mercury is completely banned in cosmetics sold in the U.S. There are no exceptions for skin lightening or brightening products. Despite this, the FDA and state health officials have found mercury repeatedly in these products over the past several years.

Mercury can cause serious damage to your kidneys, nerves, immune system, lungs, skin, and eyes. What makes it especially dangerous is that it doesn’t just affect the person using the product. Children and other people in your household can be exposed simply by touching someone who has applied it, or by breathing in fumes in a shared space.

Hydroquinone: Not Legal to Sell Without a Prescription

Hydroquinone is a skin bleaching chemical. It is not approved for over-the-counter sale in the U.S. — it requires a prescription. Products containing hydroquinone that are sold without a prescription are illegal.

Serious side effects from hydroquinone include skin rashes, facial swelling, and a condition called ochronosis — a permanent form of dark skin discoloration that cannot be reversed. This is particularly cruel for products that are marketed as brightening or lightening the skin: in some cases, long-term use causes the opposite of the promised effect, and the damage is forever.

Which Products Have Been Flagged?

The FDA maintains a full list of tested products on its website. Among the specific products flagged in recent enforcement activity are Aneeza Face Beauty Cream and Aneeza Gold Beauty Soap, which were identified by both the U.S. FDA and the Philippines FDA in 2025 for containing mercury.

These are examples, not an exhaustive list. The FDA’s tested-product table is the most complete public record and is updated as testing continues.

What You Should Do Right Now

• Check the label for: mercurous chloride, calomel, mercuric, mercurio, mercury, or hydroquinone. Stop using the product immediately if you find any of these.
• Be cautious even if the label looks clean. Many of these products omit dangerous ingredients entirely. If you bought a skin lightening or brightening product from a small or unlicensed vendor and don’t know exactly what’s in it, stop using it.
• Seal it in a bag. Check your local hazardous waste guidelines for how to properly dispose of a mercury-containing product — do not simply throw it in the trash.
• Wash your hands thoroughly after any contact with a suspected product.
• See a doctor if you have kidney pain, unusual skin changes, memory problems, mood changes, or numbness after using one of these products.
• Report it to the FDA through their MedWatch reporting system if you had a bad reaction.

Why These Products Keep Showing Up

Mercury-containing products are banned in the U.S., but many are manufactured abroad and imported illegally. The FDA has an import alert in place that lets port-of-entry staff refuse shipments of known mercury-containing products, but the market for these items is large enough that many still get through.

The communities most targeted by these products — Hispanic/Latino, Asian, African, and Middle Eastern shoppers — are also communities where access to health information in native languages may be limited. The FDA’s Skin Facts! campaign was designed specifically to reach these communities with plain-language warnings.

Common Questions