Published : 04 Aug 2026, 10:57 PM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:30 AM
Laboratory tests have found “dangerously high” levels of harmful mercury in eight brands of skin-whitening creams, far above the limit set under Bangladesh Standards (BDS).
The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) has urged businesses to refrain from selling, distributing or stocking the products.
The state-run regulator warned that using products containing mercury above the permissible limit could pose serious health risks.
In a media statement on Tuesday, the BSTI said different skin-whitening creams have recently appeared in Bangladesh’s market without being legally imported.
The products are entering the country through luggage or smuggling routes and being sold in markets, it added.
As the products are smuggled in, the BSTI said it has been unable to verify their quality before they reach consumers. It collected samples from the market and tested them at its laboratories.
The tests found mercury levels in the eight brands many times higher than the maximum permissible limit of 1 ppm under BDS 1382:
BSTI Director General (Secretary) Kazi Emdadul Hoque said, “There is no scope for any compromise on public health.”
He warned of strict legal action against businesses producing, importing or marketing cosmetics containing harmful ingredients.
He urged consumers to avoid unauthorised skin-whitening creams, verify BSTI approval before buying cosmetics and report suspicious products.
Long-term use of mercury-containing creams can damage the skin’s natural protection, thin the skin, cause permanent marks and allergies, damage the kidneys and nervous system, and impair foetal development during pregnancy, BSTI said.
