how do you know when a product contains mercury?
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free skin care · Tue May 24, 2005 9:41 am

What like home made tests can tell you if a product has mercury or is safe? like how do you test your products without having to go and pay to get them tested Smile

i heard somethin about puttin it on aluminum foil or somethin like that?

free skin care · Tue May 24, 2005 11:26 am

You might start by checking the ingredients...

free skin care · Tue May 24, 2005 4:09 pm

Katee, the first thing any NoRmaL Person would do is check the ingredients, if the ingredients don't disclose it is there ANY other way to find out ....?
Because I obviously like a normal person already looked at the ingredients..

free skin care · Tue May 24, 2005 5:50 pm

Laughing.... Awww I'm sorry myztic - I know it was an obvious answer but sometimes you just never know!!!

If you don't trust a product line to disclose their ingredients honestly, why on earth go to the trouble to test???

Personally, I think it's very important to use skin products from a line that you have some confidence in...

free skin care · Tue May 24, 2005 6:07 pm

LoL, well i trust the product line but apparently certain sellers buy fakes of the products and sell them... so you never really know what to believe... thats why i want to test it out... peace of mind Smile

free skin care · Tue May 24, 2005 6:18 pm

myztic

If you buy your products from a reputable company I truly don't feel that you have to be anxious about this.

Maybe I'm abnormal or something Shock

If I love a product and it works for me I use it! I've been on this planet 60 years. Lord only knows what I have put on my skin and absorbed into my body Anxious

. Oh, I have some mercury fillings in my mouths. Many people have had mercury fillings replaced. Mine are in my posterior teeth. Much too cheap to replace them (can't see them when I smile).
You certainly are not alone being concerned about ingredients. Many people are/others don't give it much thought.

What I suggest is if your really are concerned about additives check out the thread on homemade receipts. They are awesome and most all natural Wink

. I certain have tried a few myself. Lots of fun.

Winnie Smile

free skin care · Tue May 24, 2005 8:31 pm

I can't imagine that any skin care manufactrer would be adding mercury to their products! What makes you think that the product you're using has mercury in it? First of all, it is a banned ingredient by the FDA, secondly, it is next to impossible to acquire due to regulatory control & HAZMAT laws, and lastly, what purpose would it even serve in a skin care product?
The only way to test it would be in a lab situation & test for trace heavy metals. Nothing you could do at home with lemon juice & aluminum foil. Rolling Eyes

I'd be more worried about the mercury levels in the tuna fish that i eat than in my face wash! Laughing

Don't worry!

free skin care · Tue May 24, 2005 8:39 pm

And, boys and girls, the moral to the story is....

NEVAH put tuna fish on your face Razz

Tue May 24, 2005 8:40 pm

Google the product Wink

If a company was adding something like Mercury to the product, it will usually be all over the internet.

free skin care · Tue May 24, 2005 8:51 pm

myztic, If you don't mind me asking, how old are you? This whole skin care thing can get confusing huh? You will learn much from many of the forum members. Don't be afraid to ask question.
Winnie

Tue May 24, 2005 8:56 pm

pbsadhaka wrote:

I can't imagine that any skin care manufactrer would be adding mercury to their products! What makes you think that the product you're using has mercury in it? First of all, it is a banned ingredient by the FDA, secondly, it is next to impossible to acquire due to regulatory control & HAZMAT laws, and lastly, what purpose would it even serve in a skin care product?
The only way to test it would be in a lab situation & test for trace heavy metals. Nothing you could do at home with lemon juice & aluminum foil. Rolling Eyes

I'd be more worried about the mercury levels in the tuna fish that i eat than in my face wash! Laughing

Don't worry!

Mercury might be banned, but isn't very hard to get a hold of Smile

In some countries, people actually add urea to cow's milk because it somehow improves the taste (I know in India this happens) and in China, children's a lot of toys contain enough lead to cause poisoning. Since a lot of fake cosmetics are produced in these countries and are smuggled in, you never know what you could be getting.

free skin care · Tue May 24, 2005 11:53 pm

Well I heard that Fair and lovely may contain it and I had used this product in the past to get rid of break out marks...

Winnie, don't mind at all ... 20 years old, why? Smile

I'm not so worried about the products containing it now but more so of what i've used in the past when i was clueless to all this..

free skin care · Wed May 25, 2005 6:08 am

Quote:

Winnie, don't mind at all ... 20 years old, why?

I was asking your age because of the knowledge we gain over the years. I am still learning (and will continue daily) at sixty. Certainly, you have many questions at 20. Good for you...ask all you want. I don't have the answer your looking for. Someone on this forum just might. Very Happy

free skin care · Wed May 25, 2005 6:48 am

I think myztic's concerns are valid especially if looking into buying whitening / bleaching products. Personally, I think that any of these products are potentially damaging, mercury or no and wouldn't touch them with the proverbial!

free skin care · Wed May 25, 2005 7:20 am

I didn't mean to dismiss myztic's concerns, I didn't realize that she was ordering a cosmetic product from asia. Still though, I don't see the benefit to adding mercury to a face product???? Maybe I'm just dippy. I don't know. I'd be more worried about the general quality control (bacetiras, molds, fungii) than mercury. I don't know. Is there a similar product that you can buy that's made in the US?

Wed May 25, 2005 9:16 am

Mercury in cosmetics is a lot more common than you think:

Quote:

It is also used as a preservative in some products like cosmetics. When used according to regulated restrictions, mercury in cosmetics is considered safe.

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/iyh/environment/mercury.html

Quote:

During September 1995-May 1996, the Texas Department of Health (TDH), the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDH), and the San Diego County (California) Health Department investigated three cases of mercury poisoning associated with the use of a mercury-containing beauty cream produced in Mexico. The ongoing investigation has found this product in shops and flea markets in the United States located near the U.S.-Mexico border, and a U.S. distributor has been identified in Los Angeles. The cream, marketed as "Crema de Belleza--Manning" for skin cleansing and prevention of acne, listed "calomel" (mercurous chloride [Hg2Cl2]) as an ingredient and contained 6% to 10% mercury
by weight. This report presents findings of a continuing investigation by these health departments, the Arizona Dept of Health Services (ADHS), California State Department of Health Services (CSDHS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and CDC.

http://curezone.com/dental/mercury_symptoms.asp

http://www.google.com/search?q=mercury+cosmetics

free skin care · Wed May 25, 2005 11:01 am

katee wrote:

And, boys and girls, the moral to the story is....

NEVAH put tuna fish on your face Razz

free skin care · Wed May 25, 2005 6:38 pm

Alexine - that is soooo crazy! I guess I'm naive in thinking that all companies are putting consumer safety first. That's pretty scary! Shock

free skin care · Wed May 25, 2005 7:13 pm

a lot of people (not all) want their product to be effective no matter what the consequences.. so its effective in the sense that mercury i think helps lighten the skin but your hurting your consumers in the process. Not all companies care about the health of their consumers, for some its just to sell a product.... Sad

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