The ban on skin whitening creams has been a long time coming. I do not know if you have heard about this, but last Wednesday Ivory Coast officials announced that they had serious concerns about the long term health issues that were raised based on the use of skin whitening creams.
As such they moved into swift action and banned specific creams and lotions that contain the ingredient hydroquinone in the amounts of 2% or more.
According to Christian Doudouko the number of people who were experiencing side effects from the cream’s are alarmingly high. Here’s what they had to say:
“Cosmetic lightening and hygiene creams … that depigment the skin … are now forbidden”
Which means that the number of people using these types of cosmetics is even higher. In this day and age as we work on self appreciation I do not know why I am surprised at the continued popularity of these bleaching agents.
The side effects include skin cancer, diabetes, mercury poisoning and hypertension, all of which have been linked to the long term use of these creams.
One of the problems we think contribute to the continued popularity of these cosmetics is the fact that they are so embraced by pop culture artists.
Our society is very much influenced by what these people do and how they look, and areas like West Africa, are just as vulnerable to mass media images like many of us are in the US.
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To that point The Guardian said:
Although there are no official figures on how many women use such products across Africa, billboards advertising the potentially deadly creams can be seen in cities across the continent.
“In our cultures, some people think women with light skin are the most beautiful. This beauty standard … pushes many girls to depigment their skin,” Ekra said.
“What we see in the media is the lighter one’s skin is, the better one’s life,” he added, referring to advertisements that fill the streets of Abidjan, Ivory Coast’s biggest city, showing models with lighter-than-average skin.
Remember when Dencia pictured above debuted her new skin tone after using the cosmetic line Whitenicious? Even though many of us spoke out against it there are still women supporting the brand based on her endorsement.
In countries like Jamaica and on the Continent of Africa generally we can only hope that these warnings are taken onboard by the masses. Still I fear that this could just lead to booming ‘black market’ sales of these products.
Yes we need to ban skin bleaching creams in more areas but until then maybe we can turn things around by educating people and helping them to embrace their dark skin realizing that it is beautiful just the way it is.
See more on skin bleaching:
Skin Bleaching Addiction [Video]
The Tyra Show- Mom Gets Caught BLEACHING HER KIDS SKIN!!!! [Video]
Why I Bleached My Skin… Her Honesty Is Refreshing
Fix the mentality and the rest will follow. Black is beautiful.
And always will be. We are God’s creation.
Exactly
This is sad.. #therapy
A Hot Mess
I like her natural Skin color
I hope more countries will follow. Proud
Yes maam
Good
There’s a difference between using it to get rid of dark spot and trying to change your skin color a totally different color. This ignorant woman has downed women with dark skin color and said she looked better and was better because she was lighter. Smh…but whatever, I’m glad its getting banned.
In India skin bleaching is also popular. ..
Good
Welp! One thing for sure you can’t change is DNA!!
My thoughts are not my body not my problem.
Why my country is taking some serious innovative lately
I love my skin. It saddens me that other people don’t love their skin. I once tried to claim everything in me but it didn’t feel right I feel 100 percent Black and I don’t want to change that. I hate what society has done to this girl to make her alter herself this much.
I jus wanna lighten up the dark circles around my eyes
Use vitamin e capsules at night. Take a multivitamin, drink water and stop hitting the snooze button.
She looked sooooo much prettier with brown skin… #AllBlackIsBeautiful
Ubsolutely disgusted
A damn shame
Goooooodddddd
Don’t really care what she chose to do with her body. Is it just me, or did that treatment make her look ashy white?
She looked beautiful with her beautiful brown skin.
The outside wont fix the inside….. No matter how much you change what God granted you from the outside you will ALWAYS be who he made within. Beauty starts within above all so love yourself regardless.
Clearly people that use these harmful chemicals lack knowledge of themselves! Its so sad…….but if that’s what makes them feel good about themselves, then let them live..
I see so many dark-skinned individuals from foreign countries bleaching. I don’t understand. I love the skin I’m in; black skin that is.❤️
Doesn’t change the way of thinking, that white skin is better. Society must change
That’s a bit scary …
You should love the skin that your in. Don’t let anybody bring down your self-esteem about dark your skin is. It’s beautiful either way.
She was beautiful before
I think she definitely looked better with her natural brown skin…
Ridiculous.
Why why why, women you need to love who you are and how the lord made you . Appreciate your self .
They banned alcohol during prohibition and people still made their own moonshine, corn liquor, pruno and whatever else which was worse because some of these things were tested to be over 300 proof.
In the liquor store the most you can buy is 150 proof I believe so this stuff was twice as strong.
It’s because society treats them better the only way for you to ever understand this is to spend a week as a dark skinned black female and see the real prejudice that causes these woman to want to lighten there skin.
How can they lighten their whole body when I can’t get rid of the dark spots on my hands, knees, face
I say let them bleach themselves to death
Y’all are worried about somebody bleaching their OWN skin and missing the biggest issue which is how is the government gone tell me I can’t bleach my OWN skin? I don’t agree with skin bleaching so I won’t be doing it but if they can ban that then what’s next.
Why?
Ridiculous. it’s crazy that someone is that uncomfortable with how they look, they were born. be proud of how you were born and own it
Jackass set of people why the F would any boy want to do this s**t to them selfs God made u black u came from grate ness
Finally!
Why does Africa have the most skin brightening sells in the world?
Before being black was a curse, was said to be ugly, alien, people lost their lives being black.
Now we have the freedom to be who we are, But people are now ashamed of being black, class black as not beautiful, by the looks of it we are going backwards not forwards.
Im not going to let society tell me that I ain’t beautiful because I’m black.
I don’t live to please man and I have to stand proud no matter what, because it took us centuries to get to this point, it took proud black people like you and I to stand and fight for the black race. We need to learn to look in the mirror and love who we are.
Wtf…change bc u look sick
She looks crazy! An she going to have lots of health issues
Diseased brain.
She looks ridiculous ..she doesn’t look white she looks like an albino..when you so things like this it is time to dig deep within because this here is the ultimate definition of self hate..
Stop selling tanning beds as well.
Self hate products
I only liked this page for thw hair tips!!!
Love me as I am. The sun has kissed me all over and I love it