More than 20 banned skin-lightening products associated with dangerous levels of mercury have been found available for purchase through major online marketplaces including Temu, Amazon and TikTok Shop, despite international restrictions on the toxic substance.

A Reuters investigation published on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, found the products listed through third-party sellers across several countries, highlighting continuing difficulties in keeping prohibited cosmetics off major e-commerce platforms.

The investigation found affected listings on marketplaces serving customers in the United States, France, Belgium, India and the United Arab Emirates.

Reuters journalists were also able to purchase several products previously identified as problematic through the platforms, including Parley Beauty creams through Temu and TikTok Shop in the United States.

None of the products examined listed mercury as an ingredient.

Reuters said it did not independently test the products to confirm their mercury content, but the products had appeared on regulatory or public-health lists identifying skin-lightening products associated with mercury concerns.

That distinction is important: the investigation shows that products previously flagged over mercury were still being offered for sale, rather than establishing through fresh laboratory testing that every item purchased contained mercury.

Temu, Amazon, TikTok move against listings

After being contacted about the findings, Temu, Amazon and TikTok said the identified products violated their rules and that steps were being taken to remove them and act against the sellers responsible.

Amazon said it uses seller verification, compliance documents and laboratory testing requirements to prevent unsafe products from reaching customers.

TikTok said products intended to whiten or reduce melanin are prohibited under its marketplace rules.

Temu also told Reuters it would take appropriate action against listings found to violate applicable laws and its platform policies.

However, Reuters reported that most of the flagged products were still listed as of September 1, showing the challenge online marketplaces face when sellers relist products under different names, packaging or accounts.

The World Health Organization warns that mercury-containing skin-lightening or skin-bleaching products can cause kidney damage, nervous-system problems and skin disorders.

Exposure can also pose particular risks during pregnancy.

WHO says mercury compounds are sometimes added to skin-lightening products because they suppress the production of melanin, the pigment responsible for skin colour.

The Minamata Convention on Mercury, an international agreement adopted to protect people and the environment from mercury exposure, restricts cosmetics containing more than one part per million of mercury, including skin-lightening soaps and creams.

Despite those restrictions, WHO says mercury-containing skin-lightening products continue to be advertised and sold on the internet, including in countries where their sale is prohibited.

Reuters did not say the specific products identified in its September investigation were purchased through Temu's Nigerian marketplace, so Verita should not report that they are currently being sold to Nigerian customers without separate evidence.

The issue is nevertheless relevant to Nigeria.

Temu has rapidly expanded its Nigerian operation and was already processing personal information belonging to about 12.7 million Nigerian users when the Nigeria Data Protection Commission opened an investigation into its data-handling practices earlier in 2026.

The company also recently strengthened its Nigerian logistics operation through a partnership with local delivery provider Kwikpik, underscoring its expanding reach in the country.

Nigeria is separately among African countries targeted by an international initiative aimed at eliminating mercury-added skin-lightening products from both physical shops and online sales channels.

That makes the wider question of how global marketplaces screen cosmetics particularly relevant to Nigerian online shoppers.

WHO describes mercury as one of the chemicals of major public-health concern and has repeatedly warned against skin-lightening products containing the substance.

The health body said in 2026 that the internet continues to make potentially hazardous skin-lightening products accessible even where strong regulations exist.

Consumers buying cosmetics online are therefore advised to pay particular attention to ingredient information, regulatory approval and the identity of the seller, especially where a product promises unusually rapid skin-lightening effects.

The latest findings add to growing scrutiny of how online marketplaces police millions of listings uploaded by third-party sellers and how quickly unsafe products can return after being removed.