Warning Issued Over Facial Cream

Ventura County public health officials are warning consumers about an over-the-counter facial cream that may pose a danger of mercury poisoning for users.

Sold primarily in Mexico, the cream is identified as Crema de Belleza Manning, which translates as Manning’s Beauty Cream. It is marketed as an aid for greasy skin, acne, pimples and blackheads, officials said.

One case of mercury poisoning has been reported in Ventura County as a result of using the cream, with dozens of cases reported elsewhere in California and the western states.

In San Diego and Imperial counties, for instance, 84% of people who used the cream and came in for testing were found to have higher than usual levels of mercury in their urine, health officials said. Public Health Nurse Sally Maliskey said the unidentified Ventura County patient will be OK, but that it will take weeks for the woman’s body to rid itself of the excess mercury.

“Mercury is a heavy metal,” she said. “It takes time to have it removed from the body.”

Tests of the facial creme concluded that the product contains extremely high levels of mercury--as much as 19.5% by weight, roughly 3,000 times the levels of mercury allowed in face creams in the United States.

Symptoms of mercury poisoning include skin rashes, inflamed gums, oral ulcers, fever and other conditions. Anyone with a concern that they may have contracted mercury poisoning should call Ventura County Public Health at (805) 652-5918.