Ghana, An African Country Is Banning Skin-Bleaching Products From August

While India thrives with its obsession with fair skin, Ghana has set a revolutionary example before the world by banning all products that contain Hydroquinone from August, citing the potential health risks they pose to those who use them.

Hydroquinone- potential carcinogenic ingredient
Hydroquinone, one of the key ingredients of fairness products, can pose a potential threat of cancer. While topical applications of hydroquinone are sometimes prescribed by dermatologists in certain countries to treat uneven skin tone, the substance was banned in the U.S. in 2006 after the FDA concluded that it couldn’t rule out whether or not it had carcinogenic properties as reported by fusion. The use of all the cosmetics containing Hydroquinone has been banned in Japan, Australia, The Us and The European Union.

Ghana’s FDA spokesperson James Lartey has firmly told that from August 2016, there won’t be any acceptance of skin lightening products in the country.

A report published by Dazed revealed that in Ghana, 30 per cent women use fairness products. The figures are quite higher in other African countries like Nigeria (77%) and Senegal (52-67%).

In India also, fairness creams are used by women on a very large scale, particularly those in the rural areas. There is a false notion that only fair people are beautiful, attractive and successful. This notion has to be changed.

The Logical Indian salutes the government of Ghana for taking such a stern step to ban Hydroquinone in a country where people often relate confidence with how fairer they are. This will really serve as an example for many countries where fairness is still an obsession.