Face Cream Nearly Killed a Woman

A woman, who was using a face cream to sustain her youth and beauty, nearly died instead. The Hong Kong Health Department issued a warning against using one of the face creams after the 58-year-old woman was sent to the hospital suffering from mercury intoxication as she used the cream.

 The woman got sick in July. She was tortured by headaches, dizziness, shivering and pricking sensation in legs. Before that she used the face cream twice a day during one month. Laboratory test showed the mercury content in the cream was 43, 000 times more than allowed.


The incident raised concerns among health care specialists. Authorities are already investigating the case to track the manufacturer of the cream as its label provides no other information than the product’s name.

Mercury has long been used in cosmetic products for bleaching, especially in Asia where pale skin is considered as an attribute of beauty and nobility. Big doses of mercury, however, are very toxic and detrimental to the nervous system and kidneys, which in severe cases may lead to chromic kidney disease.