Amazon and EBay Accused of Selling Cosmetics With Mercury
- Activists find contaminated beauty products in 12 countries
- Skin lightening products are a $20 billion global industry
The Amazon application on an Apple iPhone.
Photographer: Gabby Jones/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Online marketplaces Amazon.com Inc. and EBay Inc. are entering the holiday shopping season fending off reports about products with high mercury levels being sold on their websites, yet more evidence that the convenience of online shopping carries product safety risks.
Activist groups including the Sierra Club purchased 158 skin-lightening products from Amazon and EBay marketplaces in 12 countries -- including the U.S. -- and found 60% were contaminated by mercury.