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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 b'y contemporary practices, and it is an on going 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.
Cosmetics are constituted mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either natural sources, or synthetically created ones. Cosmetics have various purposes. Those designed for personal care and skin care can be used to cleanse or protect the body or skin. Cosmetics designed to enhance or alter one's appearance (makeup) can be used to conceal blemishes, enhance one's natural features, add color to a person's face, or change the appearance of the face entirely to resemble a different person, creature or object. Cosmetics can also be designed to add fragrance to the body.
Hair coloring, or hair dyeing, is the practice of changing the hair color. The main reasons for this are cosmetic: to cover gray or white hair, to change to a color regarded as more fashionable or desirable, or to restore the original hair color after it has been discolored by hairdressing processes or sun bleaching.
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 used to treat skin conditions such as eczema, contact dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, and psoriasis. It is applied to the skin as a cream, ointment, or shampoo. Use should be short term and only if other weaker corticosteroids are not effective. Use is not recommended in rosacea or perioral dermatitis.
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 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.
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".
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, also known as blanc de ceruse 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.
Whitewashing in beauty is a phenomenon in the intersection of the fashion industry, digital photography, mass media, marketing and advertising. It describes a situation in which the skin tone of non-white people – when depicted in magazine covers, advertisements, commercials, music videos, etc. – is digitally retouched or physically modified to appear whiter. Whitewashing can also present itself in the alteration of hair texture to resemble Eurocentric beauty ideals of straight hairPassage(s) to be sourced. Whitewashing can be seen in the form of skin whitening, either digitally or with harmful skin bleaching products, or by chemically relaxing textured hair to make it conform to Eurocentric beauty standardsPassage(s) to be sourced. Additionally, plastic surgery can be used to alter features to make them appear more European, such as double eyelid surgery.
The feminine beauty ideal is a specific set of beauty standards regarding traits that are ingrained in women throughout their lives and from a young age to increase their perceived physical attractiveness. It is a phenomenon experienced by many women in the world, though the traits change over time and vary in country and culture.
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.
Korea has an ancient history of cosmetics use, and today it is an important industry in South Korea.
Glow & Lovely is a 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 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.
philosophy is a North American skin care and cosmetics brand founded in 1996 by Cristina Carlino, acquired by The Carlyle Group in 2007, and later acquired by Coty, Inc. in 2010.
Victorian-era cosmetics refers to cosmetic products used during the Victorian age. Victorian cosmetics were often toxic or otherwise damaging. Commonly used products included ingredients such as lead, mercury, arsenic, and ammonia.
