ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has initiated a countrywide investigation against firms engaged in the production, sale, and distribution of mercury-based skin-whitening creams.
The action seeks to safeguard consumers from severe health harms as well as promote fair competition in the cosmetics sector.
The CCP’s Office of Fair Trade and Market Intelligence Unit discovered that some best-selling skin whitening creams available in markets and on the internet have alarmingly high concentrations of mercury. Some of these products misrepresent themselves as safe and effective while concealing mercury as an ingredient.
Mercury is a poisonous substance that can lead to kidney damage, neurologic disorders, and dermatologic diseases. The use of mercury in cosmetics is prohibited in most nations.
Nonetheless, most of the whitening creams in Pakistan still contain mercury with deceptively worded names like “fairness,” “glow,” and “lightening.”
False or misleading marketing is not allowed under Section 10 of the Competition Act, 2010, and is punishable by up to PKR 75 million or 10% of turnover on an annual basis.
The Commission has taken action against all such companies involved in selling or marketing such hazardous skin whitening creams. It issued a warning that such acts not only jeopardize public health but also create an unequal market advantage for the violators.
Consumers are requested to discontinue the use of any whitening cream that is found to have high mercury content. Citizens are asked to report misleading advertisements or unsafe products using the CCP Online Complaint Portal.
