Skin lightening products from three Long Island-based companies are being forced off the market after an investigation found dangerously high — and illegal — levels of mercury in the cosmetics, according to state Attorney General Letitia James’ office.
The companies — Aleena Cosmetics, Axabee Skincare and Singhart, LLC — sold dozens of skin lightening creams, and other products, with mercury levels as high as 30,000 times greater than the state’s legal limit, the AG's office said on Wednesday.
State law only permits trace amounts of mercury — which can lead to neurological damage and affect fetal development in high concentrations — in skin-care products sold in bodegas and beauty supply stores. But the three companies, which are all based in Nassau County, were found to be skirting the legal limit after investigators tested their products.
The AG’s office sent cease-and-disease letters to the companies, which will all need to confirm compliance within the next five days or risk shelling out as much as $2,500 a day.
“Mercury is poison, not a beauty treatment, and no company has any business selling it to consumers,” James said in a prepared statement.
James — the first Black New York Attorney General — won praise for the action because of how often these hazardous products are specifically marketed to communities of color.
“It is egregious to see these products being marketed to people of color, especially women and girls, taking advantage of racist, Eurocentric beauty standards that encourage them to lighten their skin,” said Peggy Shepard, who heads WE ACT for Environmental Justice.
Neither Aleena Cosmetics, Axabee Skincare or Singhart, LLC immediately responded to requests for comment from Gothamist.
