21 July 2025, Quezon City. The toxics watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition gave the Food-Drug Regulation Officers (FDROs) of Quezon City the thumbs-up for their nonstop drive to stop the illicit trade of mercury cosmetics in the country’s most populated city.

The FDROs are part of the Food-Drug Regulation Section of the Quezon City Health Department (QCHD) led by OIC City Health Officer Dr. Ramona Abarquez, and with Dr. Laarni Malapit as Head of the Special Services Division and Jeanette Dacanay as Chief FDRO.

Following the issuance by Mayor Joy Belmonte of Executive Order No. 2 last February 12 that created a task force to help with the implementation of Quezon City’s ban on mercury-containing skin lightening cosmetics, the FDROs inspected retail stores selling such dangerous goods as reported by the EcoWaste Coalition and BAN Toxics.

According to the inspection reports shared by the Food-Drug Regulation Section, the FDROs conducted inspection activities from February 18 to April 29 involving 45 stores.  Thirteen of which were found carrying cosmetics flagged by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for lacking market authorization and/or for being adulterated with mercury at the time of inspection.

Stores found offering banned cosmetics such as 88 Total White Underarm Cream from Thailand and three variants of Goree Beauty Cream from Pakistan were warned not to sell violative products and to only offer FDA-notified or –registered products in compliance with national and local regulations.  The mercury cosmetics found during the inspections were duly packed, sealed and countersigned by the FDROs.

Because of the nonstop compliance monitoring efforts by the QCHD, the number of stores offering FDA-flagged mercury cosmetics in Quezon City has significantly dropped, the EcoWaste Coalition observed.

Of the 42 retail stores monitored by the EcoWaste Coalition in a follow-up investigation carried out on July 7, 8, 11 and 13, 35 were found not selling mercury cosmetics.  Compared to the results of its monitoring in November 2023, there were 43 stores documented as selling FDA-flagged mercury cosmetics, many of which were operating inside or in the vicinity of public markets and shopping malls.

However, the group still managed to buy three 88 Total White Underarm Cream, three Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene and three Goree Day & Night Beauty Cream from seven stores located at the Araneta Center and in Barangays Holy Spirit, Novaliches Proper and Payatas.

This banned Goree product purchased from a dealer at Farmers Plaza, Cubao contains 29,360 ppm of mercury, way beyond the 1 ppm limit under the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive.

Based on the chemical screening performed by the group on July 21 using an X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) device, the purchased samples of 88 Total White Underarm Cream contain up to 2,468 parts per million (ppm) of mercury, while Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene and Goree Day & Night Beauty Cream samples contain up to 29,360 ppm and 28,840 ppm of mercury, respectively. The ASEAN Cosmetic Directive sets a limit of not more than one ppm for mercury as a heavy metal contaminant in cosmetics.

Quezon City Ordinance No. 2767, series of 2018, bans the manufacture, importation and sale of mercury-containing skin whitening cosmetics in the city, as well as the sale, wholesale or retail, of cosmetics that have not been authorized by the FDA and/or have not complied with the required labeling requirements.  It further prohibits the open dumping, open burning and/or disposal of banned, recalled and/or confiscated cosmetics along with ordinary solid waste.

Violators shall be punished with a fine of P2,000 and confiscation of banned cosmetics products for the first offense; a fine of P3,000 and suspension to operate business for the second offense; and a fine of P5,000, imprisonment of 30 days or cancellation of business license issued by the city, or both, at the discretion of the court.

Introduced by then Councilor Elizabeth Delarmente, the enactment of QC Ordinance No. 2767  was influenced by the exposé made by the EcoWaste Coalition regarding the illegal sale of FDA-flagged cosmetics with mercury as mentioned in the preamble of the said ordinance enacted on October 8, 2018 and approved over a month later on November 19.

As stated in the said preamble, “mercury use in cosmetic products can have adverse effects including skin rashes, discoloration and scarring, and can reduce skin’s resistance to bacterial and mycotic disorders,” adding “direct and prolonged exposure through the skin during repeated applications can cause damage to the brain, nervous system and kidneys.”

References:

https://quezoncity.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/sp-2767-s-2018-1.pdf
https://ecowastecoalition.blogspot.com/2025/03/qc-task-force-vs-banned-mercury.html