Consumers

Mercury in skin creams: warning signs and why it is banned

9 min read · Updated 27 Oct 2026

Mercury in skin cream: what it is and why it still matters

Mercury in skin cream means mercury or a mercury compound (Mercury and its compounds) secretly mixed into face creams, melasma creams or creams sold as skin whitening products. Consumer guidance from the Thai Food and Drug Administration (Thai FDA) names ammoniated mercury as one of the banned substances found in illegal acne, melasma and whitening creams, alongside hydroquinone and retinoic acid.

The Thai FDA has warned consumers about this for years, yet people keep searching for it. Creams sold online, at markets or scooped into blank jars are still easy to find, and most buyers cannot tell which ones are a problem. A cream that contains mercury does not have a colour or smell that gives it away.

This guide covers four things: what Thai law says about mercury in cosmetics, why mercury is on the banned list, which warning signs you can spot on the label and the sales channel, and what to do if you are suspicious. Every point is based on Ministry of Public Health notifications and Thai FDA documents kept in our regulation archive.

Mercury in cosmetics: what Thai law says

The Cosmetic Act B.E. 2558 (2015) is the main law for cosmetics in Thailand. Under it, the Ministry of Public Health issues a notification listing substances that must not be used as ingredients in cosmetics. The current master list is the 2023 notification, which repealed seven earlier notifications and merged them into one list. Several amendments have followed.

Entry 221 of the annexed list is mercury and its compounds. It is banned in all cosmetic types, with a single exception: contamination in the finished product of not more than 1 part per million by weight (1 ppm, or 1 mg/kg).

That exception covers tiny traces that may come in with raw materials. It does not mean a maker may add a little mercury. Adding mercury or a mercury compound to a cream as an ingredient, in any amount, is use of a banned substance.

The old exception has been removed

Mercury has been entry 221 on the banned list since the 2016 notification, but some mercury compounds could previously be used as preservatives in products used around the eyes. Banned-substance amendment No. 7 of 2022 rewrote entry 221 so that only the 1 ppm contamination allowance remains. A Thai FDA explanatory note from the same year says thiomersal and phenylmercuric salts were removed from the preservatives list, and existing products had to comply by 27 August 2022.

A recent amendment added another mercury compound

Banned-substance amendment No. 4 of 2025 added entries 1613 to 1668. One of them is methylmercuric chloride, entry 1624, another mercury compound. The list keeps being updated to cover this group.

Beyond ingredients, the law requires anyone who makes or imports cosmetics for sale to notify the Thai FDA and receive a notification receipt first. The notification number on the label is therefore the first thing a consumer can check, but it does not guarantee that every unit on the market matches what was notified.

How mercury in cosmetics affects the body

Mercury is a heavy metal that can build up in the body, which is why Thai FDA documents describe its risk in cosmetics as cumulative toxicity. This section only summarises what Thai FDA consumer documents say.

• The Thai FDA leaflet on illegal and dangerous acne, melasma and whitening products says ammoniated mercury causes allergic reactions, thinning skin, cumulative mercury toxicity and kidney inflammation.
• The Cosmetics Control Division's consumer article on hazards in cosmetics says the banned substances smuggled into these creams (ammoniated mercury, hydroquinone and retinoic acid) cause allergy, darker skin, permanent melasma or peeling and inflamed skin.

The key point is that the risk from mercury comes from repeated use. Users may not notice anything wrong at first, and these creams are usually applied to the face every day. That is why mercury sits on the banned list rather than the list of restricted substances that may be used up to a maximum level.

This article is not medical advice. If you develop unusual symptoms after using a cream, stop using it and talk to a doctor or pharmacist, and bring the product or photos of its label so they know what you used.

Warning signs of a cream containing mercury

No visual sign can prove whether a cream contains mercury, but Thai FDA documents point to several risk signals. If you see more than one, avoid the product.

• Incomplete label or no Thai label. The Thai FDA leaflet says the Thai label must show at least the cosmetic's name, type, net quantity, directions, key ingredients, manufacturer or importer, and date of manufacture. It advises not to buy, sell or use a product without the place of manufacture or the manufacturing date.
• No manufacturer name and address. A Thai FDA note on publishing test results for cosmetics with banned substances says most acne and melasma creams without the manufacturer's name and address were found to contain banned substances.
• No notification number, or a number that cannot be found. Legal cosmetics must be notified before sale. A missing number, or one that belongs to a different product, is a serious warning sign.
• Cream scooped into a blank jar. A cream repacked or mixed without a label gives you nothing to check and no one to trace.
• Claims that go beyond a cosmetic. For example, promising that melasma disappears for good or that skin turns white quickly. Thai FDA documents single out acne and melasma products that claim to whiten the face as the group where banned substances are found most. See how to spot exaggerated ads.
• The product appears on a Thai FDA results list. The Thai FDA has a procedure for publishing the names of cosmetics found to contain banned substances. If your product matches, stop using it.

None of these signs proves that a cream contains mercury, and a complete label does not always mean a product is safe. The Thai FDA leaflet itself says its list is only an example: a product that is not listed is not guaranteed free of banned substances. It advises buying from reliable sellers, with a Thai label and the full name and address of the manufacturer or importer.

How to test for mercury in cream: what you can check and what needs a lab

The most common question is how to know whether the cream you use contains mercury. The answer has two levels: checking documents and the label, which you can do yourself, and measuring mercury, which needs a laboratory.

What consumers can check

1. Check the notification number. Search the Thai FDA database and compare the product name, the manufacturer or importer, and the status with the label. Step-by-step instructions are in how to check a Thai cosmetic notification number.
2. Read the ingredient list. If you see Mercury, Ammoniated Mercury or another mercury compound, do not use the product. Look up any name you are unsure of in our ingredient search, which shows banned or restricted status and the source notification.
3. Check the Thai label. Make sure the mandatory details are there, especially the manufacturer or importer's name and address and the date of manufacture.
4. Look at the seller. Does the shop have a real address and contact details, and does it give information that matches the label?

The important limit is that anyone who adds mercury on purpose is unlikely to list it. Reading the ingredients only screens out some products and cannot confirm that a cream is mercury-free.

Why home tests are unreliable

Many methods online claim to detect mercury at home, but a reliable result needs controlled sampling, a validated method and reference standards. Even the Thai FDA's own procedure works this way: a Thai FDA note explains that officers screen samples from shops with a preliminary test kit, that this result cannot be used for prosecution, and that samples are sent to the Department of Medical Sciences for confirmation before officers collect further samples from the manufacturer.

So whatever a home experiment shows, it should not be used to decide that a cream is safe or unsafe. If you are suspicious, stop using the product and report it so it can be sampled and tested properly.

When you need a real analysis

Measuring mercury against the 1 ppm limit requires a heavy-metal testing laboratory. Brand owners, importers and shops that want to test their own products before sale can see our lab testing service.

Found a cream with mercury? What to do next

If you suspect a cream contains mercury, because the label is incomplete, the notification number cannot be found or the product matches a Thai FDA list, take these steps.

1. Stop using it now, and do not pass it on or resell it.
2. Keep it in its original container, closed tightly and out of children's reach.
3. Photograph every side of the label, showing the product name, any notification number and the advertising text.
4. Keep proof of purchase, such as the receipt, shop name, online store link and purchase date.
5. Report it. The Thai FDA leaflet advises calling the consumer hotline 1556 and pressing 0.
6. If you have symptoms, see a doctor or pharmacist and bring the product or label photos.

Reporting helps more than the person who reports: it lets officers trace the product back to its source. The Thai FDA leaflet says sellers of illegal cosmetics may have their goods seized, face prosecution and have their shop name published.

If you bought online, save the shop page before reporting, because sellers can delete listings or rename the shop. Complete evidence helps officers act on the right target.

For shops and brand owners: responsibility does not stop at the manufacturer

The banned-substance notifications set duties for manufacturers, importers and contract manufacturers, but the Thai FDA leaflet makes clear that sellers of illegal cosmetics may also have goods seized and face prosecution. Shops that resell creams should not assume compliance is only the maker's problem.

Shops and online sellers

• Stock only products with a complete Thai label and a notification number that matches the product.
• Ask for a manufacturer or importer you can actually contact.
• Do not repack or change containers, because the product will no longer match its notification.
• If the Thai FDA publishes results showing a product you sell contains a banned substance, stop selling it and remove it at once.

Brand owners and importers

Even without adding mercury, the finished product must not contain more than 1 ppm of mercury as contamination. Other heavy metals on the same list have their own contamination limits, such as 20 ppm for lead and 5 ppm for arsenic. Asking raw-material suppliers for quality documents and testing the finished product for heavy metals gives you evidence to show officers or customers.

For the business view of recent changes to the banned list, read Thai banned cosmetic ingredients: amendments No. 5 and 6. To test a product, see our lab testing service.

Summary: mercury should not be in any cream

Mercury and its compounds are banned in all cosmetic types, apart from contamination of up to 1 ppm in the finished product. Remember three rules:

• Check the label and notification number before buying. The Thai label must name the manufacturer or importer and show the manufacturing date, and the notification number must match the product.
• Do not rely on home tests. Only a laboratory can confirm whether mercury is present.
• If in doubt, stop and report. Keep the product and your evidence, and call the 1556 hotline.

Mercury is only one of the banned substances consumers should know. Read about hydroquinone, steroids and others in banned cosmetic ingredients every Thai consumer should know.

Sources

1. Cosmetic Act B.E. 2558 (2015) · Open source · Search our archive
2. MOPH Notification on names of substances prohibited as cosmetic ingredients B.E. 2566 (2023) · Open source · Search our archive
3. Annex list to the 2023 notification on prohibited cosmetic substances (searchable PDF) · Open source · Search our archive
4. MOPH Notification on names of substances prohibited as cosmetic ingredients B.E. 2559 (2016) · Open source · Search our archive
5. MOPH Notification on prohibited cosmetic substances (No. 7) B.E. 2565 (2022) · Open source · Search our archive
6. Thai FDA explanatory note on notifications published 28 February 2022 (prohibited substances No. 7, preservatives No. 3) · Open source · Search our archive
7. MOPH Notification on prohibited cosmetic substances (No. 4) B.E. 2568 (2025) · Open source · Search our archive
8. MOPH Notification on prohibited cosmetic substances (No. 5) B.E. 2568 (2025) · Open source · Search our archive
9. MOPH Notification on prohibited cosmetic substances (No. 6), signed 18 May 2026 · Open source · Search our archive
10. Thai FDA leaflet on illegal and dangerous acne, melasma and whitening products · Open source · Search our archive
11. Thai FDA leaflet listing illegal and dangerous acne, melasma and whitening products · Open source · Search our archive
12. Hazards in cosmetics (Thai FDA consumer article) · Open source · Search our archive
13. Deodorant products (Thai FDA consumer article) · Open source · Search our archive
14. Thai FDA and the publication of test results for cosmetics containing banned substances (Thai FDA note) · Open source · Search our archive

This article is for general information. It is not a Thai FDA ruling or legal advice, and rules change — check the latest notification or ask an expert before filing or producing.

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