Skin bleaching: NAFDAC begins nationwide campaign to stem tides

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, last week launched a nationwide campaign to stem the tide of skin bleaching in the country even as medical experts who took turns to speak called for a society where dark-coloured women are respected in all ramifications.

The experts also lamented that Nigeria ranks highest in skin bleaching in Africa.

Declaring the campaign open in Lagos, the Acting Director General of NAFDAC, Dr Monica Eimunjeze pledged the agency’s commitment towards ensuring that cosmetics products are safe for use in Nigeria.

She decried the proliferation of skin-bleaching products in the country, lamenting that it has become alarming to the detriment of the majority of unsuspecting Nigerians.

She charged the Nigerian media to do more in terms of creating awareness of the dangers of these products that she said could lead to diseases such as cancer among others.

“We know people have choices but they should make choices that would not be injurious to their bodies. “Organic products are better than synthetic products maybe not. We have organic plus, it happens in different spheres. That they do not harm is not a statement of fact, there are some that can kill instantly.”

Speaking on “Overview of Bleaching: The NAFDAC  Perspective” Pharm Ebele Anto who is also a Deputy Director, of Cosmetics & Medical Devices Drug Evaluation and Research, NAFDAC said: “We must end the colour bias. We must talk about skin colour.”

She said to stem the tide of skin bleaching in Nigeria, there should be a collaborative effort among all stakeholders.

“There should be education through re-orientation is required to make the gullible ones deceived into thinking “white is Right” Black is Ugly” have a rethink.

“Traditional rulers, leaders of morals teaching the public that our colour is part of our culture which should be preserved and guarded jealously.”

She called for the organisation of beauty pageants that showcase the glory of dark skin, adding that, spas and beauty parlours where all types of skin peeling take place need to be regulated.

She advised that cosmetics products containing banned ingredients should be avoided and that users should always check the ingredients list on products.

In her presentation, “NAFDAC’s Regulatory Control of Cosmetics in Nigeria”, Pharm Linda Halim said the value of Nigeria’s Cosmetics retail sales grew by 14.5 per cent in 2021 and that the sector recorded N 1,034 Trillion in 2021 with the Beauty & Personal care Industry accounting for N470 Billion which represents 45.5 per cent.

”Skincare accounted for N 128 billion,  haircare, deodorants, shower gel products accounted for N70- N100 Million”

Halim said negative adverse effects of cosmetics include deformities, eczema, ochronosis, cancer, mutagenicity, blindness and death.

NAFDAC Director – Pharmacovigilance & PMS, Dr Rametu Momodu in his presentation entitled: “Pharmacovigilance of Cosmetic Products (Cosmetovigilance) in Nigeria” enumerated the risks associated with cosmetic products said it was time for Nigeria to implement a developed roadmap for Cosmetovigilance in Nigeria and market insights into cosmetics industry in Nigeria.

Momodu regretted that Nigerian women have been ranked the highest consumers of skin-whitening creams in Africa.

”Cosmetovigilance is a new concept of safety monitoring of cosmetic products which refers to the post-marketing surveillance of any health-related undesirable effects possibly due to the use of cosmetic products.

“Nigeria only contributes 1,314 which is only about 0.04 per cent to the global data (3,385,064) on Cosmetovigilance which is abysmally low.

”There is a need for a concerted effort to improve the reporting rate on adverse events due to the use of cosmetic products in Nigeria

Momodu also noted that the country should heighten surveillance of beauty and cosmetic shops and spas.

”There should also be structured surveillance on the Survey on the quality of cosmetic products in Nigeria”

He said in Shampoo, Lipstick, Body Cream, Eye shadow and powders are neurotoxins which are heavily linked to brain damage and other cancers

He said there was a need for NAFDAC to build capacity and strengthen Cosmetovigilance.

Speaking, Dr Patrick Omokpariola, said there has been a number of reports raising concerns over the safety of cosmetic ingredients and the damage they cause to health.

He regretted that a large number of cosmetics and potentially harmful ingredients are used in hairdressing, skincare and nail services and the harmful chemical ingredients are regularly inhaled by beauty professionals as well as cosmetics users.

He listed some toxic chemicals in cosmetic products such as Ethanolamine related chemicals such as monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, triethanolamine and methyl diethanolamine among others.

To identify them, he said there are many tools to help us discover which ingredients we should avoid in our personal care products.