Pak beauty cream seized in Maharashtra found with mercury 48,000 times over limit

Beauty creams worth nearly Rs 40 lakh seized from a shop in Maharashtra's Nanded have been found to contain dangerously high concentrations of mercury, with one product recording levels more than 48,000 times the permissible limit, according to a government laboratory report.

The findings come months after the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) flagged Pakistani-origin skin-lightening creams for excessive levels of toxic metals and ordered an immediate halt to the sale and distribution of three products. In September, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) also issued a public health alert against two Pakistani-labelled whitening creams, warning that they were unauthorised for sale in India and contained heavy metals beyond specified limits.

The latest laboratory findings relate to products seized by Nanded police during a raid at Afrah Collection, also known as Afrah Tours and Travels, in the Makkah Galli area on July 9. The seized stock was valued at around Rs 39.69 lakh. Tests of samples collected during the raid found that PARLEY 24K Gold Gleam Beauty Cream contained 48,453.44 parts per million (PPM) of mercury, against the permissible limit of 1 PPM. GOREE Beauty Cream with Lycopene was found to contain 6,924.94 PPM of mercury.

The raid was carried out by a team from Itwara police station along with Food and Drug Administration officials. Police identified the shop operator as Mohammad Ziauddin Mohammad Wajid, who was found stocking cosmetics carrying labels in Urdu and English claiming Pakistani origin.

The development follows a Maharashtra FDA alert issued in July against three skin-lightening products, including Goree Beauty Cream, which was identified as being of Pakistani origin. The regulator had ordered an immediate stop to their use, sale and distribution after laboratory tests detected excessive mercury and lead. The other products named were Face Fresh Gold Beauty Cream and Serum, and Golden Star Beauty Cream. The FDA also flagged missing mandatory labelling information, including manufacturer details and batch and expiry dates.

In September, CDSCO separately named Goree Beauty Cream and Chandni Whitening Cream in a public health alert dated September 8. It said neither had received the required registration certificate for import and sale in India and advised consumers not to buy or use them. Sellers and distributors were also directed to stop their sale and promotion.

Officials have warned that prolonged exposure to excessive mercury and other toxic heavy metals through cosmetics can cause serious health problems, including skin disorders, kidney damage and neurological complications.

A case has been registered in Nanded under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act. Police have urged people to report the sale of counterfeit, unlicensed or suspicious imported products.