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This is a guest post by Valerie Johnston is a health and fitness writer located in East Texas.
Can your makeup kill you?
At the very least it can make you very sick, according to recent FDA investigations that have discovered toxic levels of mercury and other heavy metals in a number of imported skin creams and makeup products.
The good news is that so far no mercury has been found in American made skin creams; most of the products are those that would only be purchased in some sort of import store or ethnic market. Frustrated with lackluster results from domestic products, consumers often turn to exotic imports hoping to achieve a better outcome.
Creams found to be contaminated are primarily skin bleaching and anti-aging products, including Diana skin lightening formula, Stillman's skin bleach cream and a number of other products labeled in Hindi, Chinese and other foreign languages. If you've been using an imported skin lightening cream, particularly from India, China or Mexico, check the label for mercury, sometimes listed as mercurous chloride, mercuric, mercurio or calomel.
If the product doesn't list ingredients, definitely do not use it! Mercury is highly toxic and even the smallest amounts can cause serious kidney damage among other dangerous effects. Symptoms of mercury poisoning include memory loss, tremors, irritability and hearing or vision problems. Creams containing mercury have turned up in at least seven states and a number of cases of mercury poisoning have been reported.
