Ivory Coast Bans Skin-Whitening Creams
Ivory Coast has banned skin-whitening creams due to fears that they cause lasting damage to health.
The
announcement was made via a statement released by the country’s health
ministry, which reads in part “Cosmetic lightening and hygiene creams …
that depigment the skin … are now forbidden,” Guardian UK reports.
According
to the report “the ban affects whitening creams and lotions containing
mercury and its derivatives, cortisone, vitamin A or more than two
percent hydroquinine, a lightening agent that is used to develop
photographs.”
Speaking on the ban, Elidje Ekra, a dermatologist at the Treichville University Hospital in Abidjan, said:
“In
our cultures, some people think women with light skin are the most
beautiful. This beauty standard … pushes many girls to depigment their
skin,” she 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. While the craze is most widespread among women, some men use the
creams too.”
Christian Doudouko,
a member of Ivory Coast’s pharmaceutical authority, warned against the
dangers of using such creams, as they can cause skin cancer, and can
also lead to and exacerbate hypertension and diabetes.
The
report further mentions that use of such creams are even more
widespread in Nigeria than Ivory Coast. Also, creams are also extremely
popular in many countries in Asia, including India, Pakistan and Japan,
as well as in the Middle East.
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