Skin Lightening: What is it and what makes it harmful?
- Prisha
- Feb 22, 2023
- 3 min read
What: Skin lightening or bleaching is the practice of using creams containing melanin-suppressing chemicals in order to lighten one's skin color. There are some comparatively safer chemicals to use, such as Vitamin C and K. However, most easily available skin lightening products contain chemicals that can cause irreparable damage to the user's skin -- chemicals such as mercury, hydroquinone, and corticosteroids. This is a very widespread phenomenon; though the U.S. makes up for about 1/3 of the market, this practice more often occurs in Africa and Asia. According to one source, "77% of Nigerians, 27% of Senegalese and 35% of South African women bleach their skin." The market for skin bleaching is also growing -- it was valued at $8 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow to $11.8 billion by 2026.
Why? The success of this industry stems from colorism, which is the belief that people with fairer skin within the same (non-European) race are better than their darker-skinned counterparts. This phenomenon is common in communities of color all around the world. For example, a study in India of college students from around the country revealed that 74% of them believed that fair-skinned individuals were more acceptable in society. In the Philippines, fair skin is essentially a minimum requirement for any celebrity; Angel Locsin, a prominent Filipina actress even claimed that "white is beautiful." In both these countries, and in most communities of color, colorism came about because of colonialism. European settlers offered higher status, better jobs, and more respect to the lighter-skinned native population of both countries. Being darker skinned became a marker of poverty and deplorable living conditions. And these beliefs have been so ingrained into the cultures of these communities that their population favors lighter skin.
Why is this harmful? A team of researchers analyzed over 100 samples of popular skin-lightening creams sold on platforms such as Amazon or eBay. They found that over half of these products contained illegal amounts of mercury in them. For reference, the U.S.A. only permits very trace amounts of mercury in skin products (65 parts per million). Using mercury on one's skin can lead to several ailments, such as mercury poisoning and exogenous ochronosis. Mercury poisoning can lead to slow reflexes, compromised motor skills, and also intelligence disorders. For a young mother in Minnesota, it even caused vision loss. She had been using a skin-lightening cream from abroad that contained illegal levels of mercury, and these levels were so high that they even posed a risk of mercury posioning for her children. If allowed to progress, mercury poisoning poses a high risk of neurological damage. The second side effect, exogenous ochronosis, is a disorder in which the area to which the skin lightening cream is applied turns a blue-black color. It causes a skin lesion, which is permanent. This can be scarring, especially as the beginning goal for women who consume these products is to achieve conventional beauty.
Another common ingredient in skin-lightening creams is hydroquinone, which has been established as a carcinogen. Furthermore, using corticosteroids can cause the skin to develop a dependence on the steroid -- if the user attempts to stop using the product, they develop severe acne, sensitivity to sunlight, and excessive hair growth on the skin.
What can I do? Often, when women of color speak out about issues such as these, they are confronted by the question of why they chose to use such products in the first place. While we as individuals are responsible for our actions, the blame is not on them. In many communities of color around the world, having dark skin is such a large disadvantage that people have no choice but to use skin-lightening products. Furthermore, the injurious consequences of these products are often concealed, and people often encourage those with darker skin colors to use them.
In order to combat colorism so that practices such as this one become less popular, we must address the unintentional biases that we or members of our community hold. Furthermore, it is important to be aware of the consequences of skin-lightening and other harmful practices so that we may advise others who choose to participate in them.
So remember, use your voice and get educated!
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I agree! Men should be thrown in prison!