Shopee to remove products with high levels of mercury in listings
SHOPEE Philippines vowed to remove products that have been flagged by the government for containing high levels of mercury to make shopping safer for customers.
In an e-mailed statement to BusinessWorld, the e-commerce platform said that listings with regulatory violations will be removed from the website.
“We take preemptive measures to intercept offending products from being listed on the platform, and we cooperate with local governments and health authorities to take down listings of products that are flagged as containing high levels of mercury,” Shopee said.
“We require sellers to comply with both local regulations and our own prohibited items policies. Listings found to have regulatory violations or other violations of our terms of use will be removed,” it added.
Shopee issued the statement after environmental group EcoWaste Coalition claimed that it saw skin care products flagged or banned by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) being sold by third-party sellers on e-commerce platforms Lazada and Shopee. The products were flagged for having mercury or lacking market authorization.
“In time for the 8.8 online shopping sale, our (group) carefully monitored these hugely popular online shopping sites from August 1 to 6. Much to our disappointment, hundreds of FDA-banned or flagged skin care products, especially skin lightening facial creams, are being advertised and sold as if these products are legal and safe,” EcoWaste Coalition National Coordinator Aileen Lucero said in a statement on Aug. 8.
EcoWaste Coalition said the limit for the composition of mercury as a heavy metal contaminant in cosmetics is one part per million (ppm), as provided under the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive.
“Among those found widely sold online are Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene and Goree Day & Night Beauty Cream from Pakistan. To recall, the FDA through Advisory No. 2017-289 advised consumers not to purchase and use these products, which the agency tested and found to contain mercury in excess of 1 ppm,” the group said.
Meanwhile, Shopee said that it is taking a zero-tolerance approach to the sale of prohibited items on its platform, adding that it is committed to providing customers with a safe and reliable shopping experience.
“We would also like to encourage users to reach out to Shopee if they encounter similar listings on our platform. Users can reach out to us via the menu circle at the top right-hand corner of any product listing and click on the Report this Product option,” Shopee said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
