Overview

• Cofepris issued a public risk alert naming seven skin-lightening products with undeclared mercury that are available in the Mexican market.
• The agency said three of the listed products are manufactured domestically: La Tía Mana, NunnCare, and La Crema de Rebeca.
• The FDA reported that La Tía Mana Crema Limpiadora y Curativa contained 5,432 ppm of mercury, vastly exceeding allowable trace levels.
• The Zero Mercury Working Group found 129 of 271 products tested between 2020 and 2022 exceeded 1 ppm, with seven sold in Mexico via platforms such as Amazon, Mercado Libre, eBay, and AliExpress, some entering through illegal channels.
• Cofepris highlighted health risks ranging from rashes and skin discoloration to long-term kidney and neurological damage, reminded that Mexican rules ban mercury in cosmetics except limited eye-area preservatives, and urged users to avoid unlabeled or foreign-labeled items and seek medical care if exposed.