Mercury-Containing Skin-Lightening Products Still Appear on Platforms, Raising Compliance Risks
A Reuters investigation found that some banned or high-mercury skin-lightening products remain available on Amazon, Temu, and TikTok Shop.
What are the key facts?
- 1Banned or high-mercury skin-lightening products remain available on multiple platforms
- 2Platforms involved include Amazon, Temu, and TikTok Shop
- 3The products involve the United States and multiple overseas markets
- 4Sellers should check formulas, test reports, SDSs, and labels
What happened?
Reuters reported on September 16, 2026, that a review of public records and product pages found more than 20 banned or high-mercury skin-lightening products still available on third-party platforms including Amazon, Temu, and TikTok Shop, involving markets such as the United States, France, India, the United Arab Emirates, and Belgium. The report said the products fall within regulatory bans or restrictions in multiple countries and also reflect gaps among automated platform screening, seller-provided evidence, and cross-border enforcement. For cross-border sellers, the risk is not limited to skin-lightening creams and spot-correction products; it may also extend to goods involving pharmaceutical, medical-efficacy, chemical-ingredient, or special-purpose claims. Sellers should recheck formulas, test reports, SDSs, labels, efficacy copy, and restricted-substance lists for target markets, rather than relying only on compliance screenshots supplied by vendors. After platforms intensify sampling inspections, products may be delisted, inventory may be frozen, accounts may receive penalty points, refunds may be required, and regulatory enforcement may follow.
What does this mean for cross-border sellers?
Skin-lightening and special-claim products on Amazon, Temu, and TikTok Shop face higher risks of sampling inspections, delisting, inventory freezes, refunds, and regulatory enforcement. Do not rely only on supplier “compliant” screenshots; independently check formulas, test reports, SDSs, labels, efficacy claims, and restricted-substance requirements in each target market.
What should sellers do now?
- 1Export the lists of skin-lightening, spot-correction, and special-claim products for the United States, France, India, the United Arab Emirates, and Belgium; compare each item with formulas, test reports, SDSs, and restricted-substance requirements; create a missing-document list and pause promotion of products lacking evidence.Listing Optimizer
- 2Review the titles, details, images, and efficacy claims of the relevant listings on Amazon, Temu, and TikTok Shop one by one; remove medical or special-purpose claims unsupported by test materials, and retain before-and-after copy and review records.
- 3Request the relevant batch formulas, test reports, SDSs, and label files from suppliers again, bind the documents item by item to products and inventory in each target market, and complete an evidence index that can be submitted during platform inspections.