In his massive 1976 hit Yellow Fever, Fela Kuti mocked the growing social ill of Nigerian women using creams to bleach their skin. Nearly 50 years later, the craze for lighter, “yellow” skin seems even more widespread. The BBC recently reported that some Nigerian women now apply dangerous bleaching creams on their children. A staggering 77% of Nigerian women have used skin-lightening products, according to a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), underscoring a persistent beauty standard that equates fairer skin with attractiveness and success. Despite widespread awareness of the health risks—including cancer, kidney damage, and severe skin damage—the skin-lightening industry continues to boom, driven by aggressive marketing, celebrity endorsements, and social pressure. The WHO report ranks Nigeria as the world’s largest market for skin-lightening products, far ahead of countries like India and South Africa where the trend is also widespread.
Popular brands dominating Nigeria’s skin-lightening market include Carotone, manufactured in France; Fair & White, also produced in France; Maxi Light from Ivory Coast; and Bronze Tone, made in the United States. Locally manufactured products such as Peau Claire and L’abidjanaise are also widely available. Many of these brands promote “glow” or “tone-enhancing” effects, but investigations have found that several contain high levels of harmful substances like hydroquinone and mercury. Their availability in both formal retail outlets and open markets makes regulation difficult, exposing millions of users to significant health risks.
The trend is not unique to Nigeria. In Ghana, around 30% of women reportedly use skin-lightening products, while in Senegal, the figure is estimated at around 27%. In Côte d’Ivoire, skin bleaching is so widespread that the government banned creams containing hydroquinone and other harmful chemicals in 2015, though enforcement challenges persist. Across West Africa, skin-lightening continues to reflect a complex mix of colonial influence, social class aspirations, and evolving global beauty standards. Experts argue that reversing the trend will require stricter regulation as well as broader cultural shifts that embrace the beauty of darker skin tones.
Regulation: A Growing Yet Fragile Effort
Attempts to regulate skin-lightening products exist across West Africa, but enforcement remains a major hurdle. In Nigeria, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) prohibits the sale of products containing mercury and restricts hydroquinone concentration to below 2% without a prescription. While NAFDAC occasionally carries out market raids and publicizes warnings, banned creams are still easily found in informal markets and online. Côte d’Ivoire took a bolder step in 2015, issuing a nationwide ban on the sale, importation, and manufacture of skin-lightening creams containing harmful substances. Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority also banned hydroquinone-based products in 2016, backed by public health campaigns. In Senegal, awareness drives have been launched, although regulatory measures are less aggressive. Despite these policies, porous borders, informal markets, and high consumer demand continue to undermine regulatory success across the region.
In contrast, regulation is much stricter in Europe and the United States. In the United Kingdom, for instance, products containing hydroquinone, mercury, or corticosteroids are banned for cosmetic use. Recently, the UK government issued a product safety report on H. Cosmétiques CI L’Abidjanaise Cream, manufactured in Côte d’Ivoire, warning that it contained illegal levels of hydroquinone and posed serious chemical risks. The product was withdrawn from sale. Similarly, in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) controls skin-lightening agents tightly: mercury-based creams are banned outright, and products containing hydroquinone must carry clear warnings or be available only by prescription. These regulatory models highlight the urgent need for more effective action in West Africa to protect public health.
