Many sellers on Amazon have reported that their topical products have been taken off the popular e-commerce site. Unfortunately, you might be part of this extensive shutdown. Here’s all you need to know about what caused this event and how to get your topical products back on Amazon.
Lawsuit Against Amazon
A consumer protection group from California, As You Sow, filed a lawsuit against Amazon in April. They claimed that Amazon knowingly sold topical products containing mercury to consumers without issuing any warnings. Mercury can be spread by touch and can even contaminate the air, affecting the central nervous, reproductive, and renal systems.
Other lawsuits of a similar nature have been issued in the past. In November 2018, an open letter from 51 public interest groups was sent to Amazon. They “strongly urge[d] Amazon to police its website to ensure that cosmetics found to have mercury levels over 1 part per million (ppm) are no longer offered for sale.”
In response to these allegations, Amazon has shut down many topical product listings in an effort to reduce the number of products containing mercury.
For Consumers
As a consumer, be careful when buying topical products. Don’t use products that don’t have a label, and don’t use products that contain mercury, mercurio, mercurous chloride, or calomel. Also keep in mind that in order for products to be legally sold in the US, the product must have the following information:
- Products can have information in other languages, but all of the information must also be in English
- All ingredients must be listed
For Sellers
If your listing has been taken down, follow these best practices to get it back up quickly:
- Reach out to [email protected]
- Submit a ticket through seller central
- Make your case by sending documentation of your product (Certificates of analysis (CoA), LLC information, any other facts/stats or FDA reports/audits, etc.)
Amazon has been working quickly to get sellers’ products relisted on their website.
If you need help getting your listing back on Amazon, reach out to one of our experts today!
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