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The practice of skin lightening and bleaching is a lucrative industry in Ghana, where a higher marital value and societal/economic privilege, is placed upon a woman's complexion. [1] This phenomenon has been present since the sixteenth century and was influenced by contemporary practices, and it is an ongoing controversial topic. White skin asserted class privilege and distinct racial privilege, prompting many Ghanaians to bleach their skin to achieve a similar color. Skin bleaching is a practice where women and men use various chemicals and cosmetic products to attempt to lighten or whiten the color of the skin.The practice of skin bleaching has caused controversy due to the negative side effects to the central nervous system and kidneys. [2] These products often contain one or both of two chemicals: hydroquinone and mercury and can sometimes lead to negative physical effects, such as cancer and can cause rash and flaky skin, as well as uneven light and dark patches on the skin.There are two forms of Mercury; inorganic mercury is the purest and most toxic agent that is heavily used in countries that are closer to the equator and raw mercury that is not as strong and it is commonly used in countries further away from the equator. [2] The use of mercurial preparations to the skin is a contemporary practice passed down from Greek and Roman traditions whom used Mercury to develop skin bleaching cosmetics. [2] Although Mercury is commonly used as a skin lightening agent it is toxin that can be used in traditional Asian medicines/remedies, cultural and religious practices, and can be used as a preservative in some vaccines. [2]
The heavy demand for skin lightening products resulted in manufactures producing body creams, hair dyes, shampoos/conditioners, and moisturizers all containing Mercury. [2] Mercurial preparations to the skin has become a lucrative industry in Ghana and other countries by advertising models that have a fair skin complexion on billboards and in the media. The media glorifies and profits from women whom are sexually objectified so majority of the models featured in the skin bleaching advertisements are visually seducing modern women. BODY/WHITE is a popular brand that advertises a 'body clearing gel'; their high demand products are Gel and Savon Eclaircissant as well as a Gel Creme. [3] According to BODY/WHITE they recommend customers to use the Gel Creme (concentrate moisturizer), Gel Eclaircissant (bleach agent), and the Savon Eclaircissant (skin lightening soap) to achieve more of a fair skin complexion. [3] By advertising attractive yet modern women in commercials and magazines it easily influenced the average person to purchase the products in hopes to experience the exclusivity and attention women of a lighter skin tone receive. It is likely for most Ghanaians to assume that if an individual with a lighter skin complexion is in a position of power, because they bleached their skin to get into that position and is continuously bleaching to maintain it. [2] The lighter pigmentation of skin a married woman in Ghana has is associated with a higher social and economical status. [1] Over time this also became a major determinant of beauty, especially among Ghanaian women, and by the 1980s skin bleaching had spread throughout all socioeconomic classes of women. Scholars such as Jemima Pierre have theorized that the desire for lighter colored skin in Africa stems from the European colonization of the continent. Women in Ghana prioritize marriage because their culture stigmatizes unmarried women as unfaithful, socially deviant, lacks sexual allure and is considered as a "threat" to women whom are married. [1] It is fairly common in Ghana for a woman's skin complexion and her level of attractiveness to determine her value in the marriage market. [1] Despite being a common practice among Ghanaians, lower-class people are often openly ridiculed for skin bleaching. Blacks who bleach their skin (regardless of socioeconomic status) are often ridiculed for aspiring and ultimately failing to become white.
Due to the negative health risks associated with skin lightening, Ghana has implemented legislation against the use of skin lightening products. According to the Skin Lightening Practices Among female High School Students in Ghana article 30-70% of females reported harmful affects after using skin bleaching agents over an extended time. [2] The negative physical and mental impact skin bleaching has on individuals is what has caught the media and political officials attention in recent years. Kidney failure, neurological symptoms, kidney failure's, and skin cancers are a few negative physical effects from using skin lightening products. [3] Although in recent years researchers have discovered that skin lightening is a cutaneous atrophy leading to telangiectasia, striae, and fragile skin. [2] In recent years majority of skin bleaching products have recently been banned, Ghanaian women can still acquire these ingredients through illegal means by creating homemade skin lightening chemicals. The practice of skin bleaching is an inevitable phenomenon because traces of Mercury agents in cosmetics is unavoidable.
Hair coloring, or hair dyeing, is the practice of changing the color of the hair on humans' heads. The main reasons for this are cosmetic: to cover gray or white hair, to alter hair to create a specific look, to change a color to suit preference or to restore the original hair color after it has been discolored by hairdressing processes or sun bleaching.
Dihydroxyacetone, also known as glycerone, is a simple saccharide with formula C
3H
6O
3.
A humectant is a hygroscopic (water-absorbing) substance used to keep things moist. They are used in many products, including food, cosmetics, medicines and pesticides. When used as a food additive, a humectant has the effect of keeping moisture in the food. Humectants are sometimes used as a component of antistatic coatings for plastics.
Clobetasol propionate is a corticosteroid that is used to treat skin conditions such as eczema, contact dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, steroid responsive dermatosis, and psoriasis. It is applied to the skin as a cream, foam, gel, liquid, solution, ointment, or shampoo. Clobetasol propionate is a propionate ester of the corticosteroid clobetasol.
A moisturizer, or emollient, is a cosmetic preparation used for protecting, moisturizing, and lubricating the skin. These functions are normally performed by sebum produced by healthy skin. The word "emollient" is derived from the Latin verb mollire, to soften.
Anal bleaching is the process of lightening the color of the skin around the anus. It is done for cosmetic purposes, to make the color of the anus more uniform with the surrounding area. Some treatments are applied in an office or salon by a cosmetic technician and others are sold as cream that can be applied at home.
Skin whitening, also known as skin lightening and skin bleaching, is the practice of using chemical substances in an attempt to lighten the skin or provide an even skin color by reducing the melanin concentration in the skin. Several chemicals have been shown to be effective in skin whitening, while some have proven to be toxic or have questionable safety profiles. This includes mercury compounds which may cause neurological problems and kidney problems.
Lotion is a low-viscosity topical preparation intended for application to the skin. By contrast, creams and gels have higher viscosity, typically due to lower water content. Lotions are applied to external skin with bare hands, a brush, a clean cloth, or cotton wool.
Skin care or skincare is a range of practices that support skin integrity, enhance its appearance, and relieve skin conditions. They can include nutrition, avoidance of excessive sun exposure, and appropriate use of emollients. Practices that enhance appearance include the use of cosmetics, botulinum, exfoliation, fillers, laser resurfacing, microdermabrasion, peels, retinol therapy, and ultrasonic skin treatment. Skin care is a routine daily procedure in many settings, such as skin that is either too dry or too moist, and prevention of dermatitis and prevention of skin injuries.
The history of cosmetics spans at least 7,000 years and is present in almost every society on earth. Cosmetic body art is argued to have been the earliest form of a ritual in human culture. The evidence for this comes in the form of utilised red mineral pigments including crayons associated with the emergence of Homo sapiens in Africa. Cosmetics are mentioned in the Old Testament—2 Kings 9:30 where Jezebel painted her eyelids—approximately 840 BC—and the book of Esther describes various beauty treatments as well.
Foundation is a liquid, cream, or powder makeup applied to the face and neck to create an even, uniform color to the complexion, cover flaws and, sometimes, to change the natural skin tone. Some foundations also function as a moisturizer, sunscreen, astringent or base layer for more complex cosmetics. Foundation applied to the body is generally referred to as "body painting" or "body makeup".
Personal care products are consumer products which are applied on various external parts of the body such as skin, hair, nails, lips, external genital and anal areas, as well as teeth and mucous membrane of the oral cavity, in order to make them clean, protect them from harmful germs and keep them in good condition. They promote personal hygiene and overall health, well-being and appearance of those body parts. Toiletries form a narrower category of personal care products which are used for basic hygiene and cleanliness as a part of a daily routine. Cosmetic products, in contrast, are used for personal grooming and beautification. Pharmaceutical products are not considered personal care products.
Face powder is a cosmetic product applied to the face to serve different functions, typically to beautify the face. Originating from ancient Egypt, face powder has had different social uses across cultures and in modern times, it is typically used to set makeup, brighten the skin and contour the face. Face powders generally come in two main types. One of which is loose powder, which is used to assist with oily skin in absorbing excess moisture and mattifying the face to reduce shininess. The other is pressed powder which conceals blemishes and maximises coverage.
Venetian ceruse or Venetian white, also known as blanc de céruse de Venise and Spirits of Saturn, was a 16th-century cosmetic used as a skin whitener. It was in great demand and considered the best available at the time, supposedly containing the best quality white lead sourced from Venice, the global merchant capital at the time. It is similar to the regular ceruse, although it was marketed as better, more exclusive and more expensive than the regular ceruse variant. The regular ceruse white pigment is a basic lead carbonate of chemical formula 2 PbCO
3·Pb(OH)
2 while the mineral cerussite is a simple carbonate of lead.
The cosmetic industry describes the industry that manufactures and distributes cosmetic products. These include colour cosmetics, like foundation and mascara, skincare such as moisturisers and cleansers, haircare such as shampoos, conditioners and hair colours, and toiletries such as bubble bath and soap. The manufacturing industry is dominated by a small number of multinational corporations that originated in the early 20th century, but the distribution and sale of cosmetics is spread among a wide range of different businesses. Cosmetics must be safe when customers use them in accordance with the label's instructions or in the conventional or expected manner. One measure a producer may take to guarantee the safety of a cosmetic product is product testing. FDA occasionally does testing as part of its research program or when looking into potential safety issues with a product. Both the cosmetics business and consumers can benefit from the FDA's resources on product testing.
Cosmetics have been used in Korea since antiquity. Today, cosmetics are an important industry in South Korea.
Glow & Lovely is an Indian skin-lightening cosmetic product of Hindustan Unilever introduced to the market in India in 1975. Glow & Lovely is available in India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Mauritius and other parts of Asia and is also exported to other parts of the world, such as the West, where it is sold in Asian supermarkets.
Colorism in the Caribbean describes discrimination based on skin tone, or colorism, in the Caribbean.
Victorian-era cosmetics were cosmetic products used during the Victorian age. Victorian cosmetics sometimes used toxic ingredients such as lead, mercury, arsenic, and ammonia.
Skin lightening is a common practice in several Middle Eastern countries, particularly among women. The use of skin lightening products among Middle Eastern women has been attributed to the perceived association between light skin and beauty, as well as marriage and employment opportunities. Furthermore, the portrayal of light skin as the beauty ideal in popular media has contributed to the use of skin lightening products among Middle Eastern women.
