This bold move to ban mercury in makeup makes the great state of Minnesota the first state in the nation to ban intentionally added mercury in cosmetics and sets a tougher standard than the federal government for regulating cosmetic ingredients. "Mercury does cause neurological damage to people even in tiny quantities," said Sen. John Marty, the Democrat who sponsored the ban. "Every source of mercury adds to it. We wanted to make sure it wasn't here."So your first questions are probably. . .Why isn't mercury already banned in cosmetics? Well, that's a long story but the short version is that the US FDA has banned very, very, very few chemicals in cosmetics. Mercury is not one of them.
In fact, Europe, Korea and Japan have banned many chemicals still common in cosmetics in the USA.I don't see mercury on my mascara ingredient label. Does that mean it's mercury free? The actual ingredient name containing mercury is called Thimerosal .

It is a mercury-containing organic compound used as a preservative and anti-fungal agent since the 1920s. Thimerosal has been banned around the world but NOT in the US (except for Minnesota).

What should I do now?

Ladies, the bottom line in my opinion is actually not about the mercury, but rather, it's about the lack of regulation in general in the USA for cosmetic ingredient safety.

So what's a girl to do?

Most women are not going to become chemists in their spare time to keep up with international cosmetic ingredient regulations to understand if products are safe. Instead, I suggest that you look for companies that are focused on safety and transparency regarding the ingredients they use.