Minister of State for Well being and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, has referred to as for pressing motion to sort out the alarming prevalence of pores and skin bleaching in Nigeria and throughout Africa.
The minister made the decision on the high-level section of the Regional Consciousness-Elevating Workshop on the Elimination of Pores and skin-Lightening Beauty Merchandise Containing Mercury, held in Libreville, Gabon.He highlighted the general public well being and societal implications of the widespread use of hazardous skin-lightening merchandise.
Describing pores and skin bleaching as a “public well being drawback requiring pressing motion,” Dr Salako underscored its widespread prevalence, notably amongst ladies, and the dangerous well being penalties related to these merchandise.
Based on the World Well being Organisation (WHO), 77 per cent of Nigerian ladies use skin-lightening merchandise, making the nation the very best shopper globally.
Dr. Salako attributed this troubling statistic to societal pressures that hyperlink lighter pores and skin tones to magnificence, success, and social mobility.
“The phenomenon of pores and skin bleaching is deeply rooted in societal norms and colonial influences that promote lighter pores and skin as a normal of magnificence. Whereas ladies are sometimes the first customers, males additionally play a major function in perpetuating this development by exerting direct or oblique stress on ladies to lighten their pores and skin,” Dr. Salako stated.
The minister famous that skin-lightening merchandise usually comprise hazardous substances, together with mercury, hydroquinone, and heavy metals like lead and arsenic, which pose important well being dangers, together with pores and skin harm, organ toxicity, most cancers, and psychological disturbances.
He cited research indicating widespread consciousness of those dangers amongst customers, notably amongst college college students, however stated societal pressures and misconceptions about “firming” as a safer various proceed to drive the observe.
Regardless of the ban on mercury-containing merchandise in Nigeria, Dr. Salako acknowledged that smuggling, on-line gross sales, and weak enforcement stay important challenges. He referred to as for enhanced collaboration amongst African nations to handle these points and promote safer alternate options.
Nevertheless, Dr. Salako famous that the federal authorities has taken steps to handle the difficulty by way of public sensitisation campaigns, regulatory enforcement, and the event of security insurance policies.
Based on him, key initiatives embody the 2019 beauty merchandise (prohibition of bleaching brokers) laws, which ban dangerous substances like mercury and restrict hydroquinone concentrations to 2 per cent.
Additionally, he stated the federal government, by way of the Nationwide Company for Meals and Drug Administration and Management (NAFDAC), has been actively seizing and destroying unregistered and counterfeit merchandise whereas conducting market surveillance to take away hazardous merchandise from circulation.
Dr. Salako reaffirmed Nigeria’s dedication to defending public well being and selling protected beauty practices by way of coverage improvement, advocacy, and stricter regulatory enforcement. “Fairer just isn’t higher,” he stated. “We should have fun our range and redefine magnificence requirements to replicate our true identities.”
This workshop in Gabon, attended by representatives from throughout the African continent, marks a major step ahead in regional efforts to remove hazardous skin-lightening merchandise and tackle the cultural and societal components driving their use.
To bolster these efforts, Dr. Salako introduced the upcoming launch of a Nationwide Coverage on Cosmetics, which can set complete security requirements for beauty merchandise in Nigeria, including that the federal government was additionally creating tips for beauty security evaluation to align with worldwide requirements.
The minister emphasised the necessity for a multidisciplinary strategy to fight pores and skin bleaching, involving dermatologists, behavioral psychologists, and neighborhood well being specialists.
He urged African governments to revive cultural actions like “Black is Lovely” to advertise Afrocentric magnificence requirements and counteract the destructive legacy of colonialism.
