Walmart to block sales of mercury skin lighteners after California settlement

Walmart agreed to stop selling certain skin lightening creams containing mercury and to require testing from some third-party sellers after settling a California Proposition 65 dispute on June 10. The deal follows lab tests that found products sold on Walmart.com far above the legal mercury limit and adds another retailer to a growing consumer-safety crackdown.

Why it matters: - Mercury in skin lighteners can expose consumers to serious health risks, including rashes, skin discoloration and long-term damage to the eyes, lungs, kidneys and immune system. - The settlement adds pressure on major online retailers to police third-party marketplace products that can reach consumers with limited oversight. - California’s Proposition 65 is designed to give consumers warning information so they can make informed decisions about products that may expose them to toxic chemicals.

What happened: - The Mercury Policy Project, a project of the Tides Center, settled a Proposition 65 legal dispute with Walmart on June 10. - The dispute began with a notice letter sent on Sept. 30, 2025, alleging Walmart failed to warn customers that certain skin lightening creams sold on Walmart.com could expose consumers to high levels of mercury. - Walmart agreed to remove the products from its website and keep them off the site. - Walmart also agreed to require certain third-party sellers to test products for mercury before offering them for sale.

The details: - Federal rules allow no more than 1 part per million of mercury in cosmetics. - Lab tests on creams purchased from Walmart.com found mercury levels well above that limit and as much as 5,000 times the legal threshold. - The settlement includes penalty payments of more than $1 million, including $850,000 in civil penalties. - Three-quarters of the civil penalty amount will go to the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard. - Michael Bender, executive director of the Mercury Policy Project and co-coordinator of the Zero Mercury Working Group, said the group was willing to take legal action to protect consumers. - Rachel Doughty, an attorney with Greenfire Law, said the purpose of Proposition 65 is to provide crucial information so consumers can make informed decisions.

Between the lines: - The agreement suggests retailers may face broader responsibility for monitoring hazardous products sold by marketplace vendors, not just items they directly stock. - The testing requirement for some third-party sellers goes beyond simple removal and may signal a more aggressive compliance model. - Mercury-contaminated skin creams can also expose other household members and may require costly cleanup of contaminated homes, especially where products are used regularly. - Pregnant women, babies and young children face the highest risk from mercury exposure. - A published article by Gordon Vrdoljak, a Ph.D. at the California Department of Public Health, warned that regular use can spread mercury through hands, food, countertops and bedding. - A Minnesota Health Advisory described a case involving a woman who used Nunn Care Crema Limpiadora for a year and later was diagnosed with membranous neuropathy, a kidney disease.

What's next: - Walmart will need to maintain controls that keep the affected products off its website. - Third-party sellers covered by the agreement will need to complete mercury testing before listing certain skin lighteners. - The settlement may serve as a template for future enforcement against online marketplaces selling cosmetics with toxic heavy metals. - A similar lawsuit against Amazon, filed in 2014, was settled last year after a decade-long legal fight involving the California Attorney General and citizen enforcers. - More information is available in the settlement agreement.