SKIN lightening creams containing mercury have been seized from shops in Hillingdon by the borough’s trading standards team.
Forty boxes of Stillman's Freckle Cream and Stillman's Skin Bleach Cream were removed from shelves in the Hayes area on Friday.
Shops selling the products were also given information on why the products should not be sold.
The mercury content of the creams was discovered after samples bought by trading standards officers from shops in the borough earlier in the year were tested at a laboratory.
Using creams containing mercury can damage skin, increase pigmentation and cause severe itchy rashes. If used during pregnancy, it can result in foetal abnormalities and, if used in high doses, it can affect people psychologically.
The Stillman's products, produced in the US, are banned in this country.
Following the seizures, trading standards plan to inspect shops in other parts of the borough. To date, in 2015 they have seized 88 boxes of the two Stillman's creams.
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