Despite Ban, Pak's Toxic Fairness Cream Sold In Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh

India has stopped trade with Pakistan but even so, a fairness cream smuggled from across the border has flooded the market.

Despite warnings about its high-risk contents, its sale continues unabated in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and several other parts of the country.The Goree Beauty Cream -- priced between Rs 380 and Rs 800 -- is sold in markets and is also available across all online platforms.After lab tests, health experts said it contains heavy, toxic metals like mercury and lead, which, once absorbed by the skin, can cause mayhem in internal organs like liver and lungs.The cream has 5,000 ppm (parts per million) of mercury, whereas the level should be less than 1 ppm.How The Cream WorksDoctors said once this cream is absorbed by the skin, its mercury and lead components -- which have no place in the human body -- interfere with the production of melanin, the pigment responsible for skin color.