The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, on Friday decried the increasing use of skin-lightening products among Nigerians and Africans.
Salako said despite the well-documented harmful effects, the use of skin-bleaching products like creams, ointments, soap, pills and injections is common among non-white populations throughout the world.
Speaking at the high-level segment of the regional awareness-raising workshop on the elimination of lightening cosmetics products in Gabon, he stated that bleaching products is particularly widespread in Africa, especially among women.
In his speech made available to journalists in Abuja, Salako, however, stated that Nigeria is in the process of developing a National Policy on Cosmetics to provide a comprehensive framework for ensuring the safety and quality of cosmetic products.
“I must say that not only are men using SLPs, men also tend to put pressure on women directly or indirectly to lighten their skin, and therefore our campaigns must not exclude the menfolks.
“Nigeria may have been called ‘the world capital of skin bleaching’, or ‘the skin-lightening hothouse of the world,’ potentially due to its recognition as having the highest usage rates of SLPs across the globe put at 77 per cent among Nigerian women by WHO. This rate is the highest in the world, reinforcing the prevalence of a cultural and societal preference for lighter skin tones in the country.
“Skin-whitening products include skin-lightening or whiteners that are widely used among a wide range of demographic groups regardless of age, socio-economic status, or education level,” he said.
