India, July 24 -- image credit- freepik

Toxics Link, an Indian environmental research and advocacy organisation, has welcomed the Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration's (FDA) decisive action against nine cosmetic products found to contain toxic levels of mercury and lead, calling it a critical public health intervention that should now be replicated across the country through a nationwide ban on mercury-containing skin-lightening products.

In a public alert issued on 10 July 2026, the Maharashtra FDA declared nine cosmetic skin lightening products (8 creams and 1 soap) as "Not of Standard Quality" after laboratory analysis found mercury levels exceeding prescribed limits. One product was also found to contain excessive levels of le...