03/11/2026
Mercury is a toxic chemical often added to cosmetic products due to its skin-lightening effects. Mercury lightens the skin by reducing melanin production; nevertheless, this process is highly toxic and linked to an array of severe health impacts, including kidney damage, neurological damage, anxiety, depression, psychosis, skin rashes, scars, and discoloration. Children exposed to mercury can also be impacted with brain, vision, and hearing damage.
Identifying whether a product contains mercury can be tricky because some products that have mercury don’t have ingredient labels or intentionally omit mercury from the ingredient list. Nevertheless, there are key indicators you can watch out for:
Be wary of any lightening, brightening, tone-evening, and spot-reducing products.
Watch out for mercury (in any of its forms) in the ingredient list, such as mercurous chloride, calomel, mercuric, or mercurio.
If the ingredient list is not included on the product, the lack of transparency means there may be dangerous ingredients in the product.
If the product states to avoid contact with silver, gold, rubber, aluminum, and jewelry, chances are mercury has been added.
If you have a product you suspect contains mercury, don’t throw it in the trash. This product is considered hazardous waste and should be discarded at your local household hazardous waste site at no cost.
Where to Dispose Safely:
Bloomington: 1400 W 96th St
Brooklyn Park: 8100 Jefferson Hwy
St. Paul: 5 Empire Dr (Bay West)
Minneapolis Residents: While there isn’t a permanent site in the city, Hennepin County hosts local collection events in Minneapolis neighborhoods throughout the year. Visit hennepin.us/collectionevents for the schedule.
For more information about safety from chemical exposure, visit thebeautywell.org/data
