More than 15% of whitening products surveyed in Malaysia were tainted with mercury, researchers from the University of Malaya have revealed.

A total of 104 whitening products were selected from the market via random sampling technique and purchased between July 2019 and July 2020.

There was a mix of leave-on and rinse-off products among them.

The products were collected from various distribution channels in Malaysia, including night market stalls, department stores, pharmacies, as well as e-commerce marketplaces.

A majority (65.4%) were acquired from brick-and-mortar stores, while the rest (34.6%) were found online.

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