The practice dates back centuries, has many names — skin lightening, whitening, bleaching — and has a range of cultural origins depending on the region. But the trend is ultimately rooted in colorism and the fact that in many cultures, lighter skin is associated with beauty and better prospects in terms of employment, marriage and social standing, reports CNN.
The culture behind skin whitening
Skin whitening is the use of cosmetic products or services to reduce the amount of melanin, or pigment, in the skin to make it appear lighter. It’s a big industry and predominantly targets women of color in every region of the world, with the Asia-Pacific region being the most lucrative.
Lighter skin has long been linked to wealth and status, in some regions due to manual laborers working out in the sun while the wealthy stayed indoors. In others, experts blame colonialism, slavery and globalization.
Colorism and light-skin privilege have led to disparities in every region of the world, in everything from social treatment to marriageability, education, employment and even, in the US, prison sentencing.
Toxic skin whitening ingredients
Skin whitening products often contain ingredients that are toxic when used cosmetically for long durations and without medical guidance as they have the ability not just to damage your skin but cause life-threatening ailments.
The chemicals used to lighten skin vary greatly worldwide and are constantly evolving, with antioxidants such as glutathione, as well as vitamin C and collagen now available to inject — most of which are unproven and often unsafe.
However, three ingredients dominate harmful skin whitening products worldwide and are heavily regulated in most countries — but they remain widely available, and misuse or prolonged use can be toxic to your health.
The companies making skin whitening products
Skin whitening products have evolved from freckle removers and skin bleaches, to whiteners and lighteners as the culture and conversations around skin color have changed, but their production and sale have persisted as demand has not waned.
Skin whiteners can be bought everywhere from small stores, supermarkets and high-end clinics, to markets, third-party websites, social media platforms and even directly from people’s homes.
As such, manufacturers range from large multinational corporations to community-based chemists.
What the companies making or selling skin whitening products say
CNN reached out to the multinational corporations, companies, third-party sites and social-media giants named above for response to their involvement in either the manufacture, sale or promotion of skin whitening practices and products.
Multinationals
Corporations were asked to respond to the naming of their products and the criticism that their products promote skin whitening and white beauty ideals in general.
- Shisheido told CNN: “Our brightening products function by restricting the formulation of melanin which causes age spots and freckles. These products do not have the ability to whiten the skin. We do not sell whitening products, nor do we recommend whitening.”
- Beiersdorf told CNN: “We have conducted an in-depth review to determine implications for our product offering and marketing approach, also taking extensive consumer research into account, and will cease communications that do not embrace the complexions of our diverse consumer base. These adaptations to our product communication will become more visible in the markets gradually beginning of next year [2022].”
- Beiersdorf also said: “An external diversity and inclusion board of experts has been appointed to advise Nivea on the best way to market products to consumers in individual markets in an inclusive manner.”
- Unilever stated: “We have made good progress in updating our packaging and communications, although there is still some way to go. Consumers may still find previous packaging available due to factors such as stock pipelines, or previous marketing descriptions on third-party websites.”
Companies making products containing mercury were asked if they had done anything since tests identified their products to contain mercury, how their products were being imported into countries where they are illegal and whether the companies are aware that high levels of mercury can significantly damage a person’s health.
Social media companies
Social media companies were asked whether they were aware that skin whitening creams, including ones containing toxic and often illegal ingredients, were being promoted and sold on their platforms. They were also asked to respond to criticism that enabling this promotes colorism and perpetuates white beauty ideals.
- Meta (for Facebook and Instagram) did not provide a statement to CNN, but informed CNN that the company dedicates substantial resources to ensuring that unsafe or illegal items are not sold via their platforms.
- Meta also said it works with regulators and other subject matter experts to refine its related policies and controls.
- TikTok also did not provide a statement to CNN, but shared information that the company uses a combination of technologies and moderation teams to identify, review and, where appropriate, remove content or accounts that violate its community guidelines.
- When CNN shared a link to a video of someone promoting the practice of skin whitening alongside a product to enable it, TikTok told CNN the video was organic content, not a paid-for advertisement, and did not violate its guidelines.
Third-party sites
Third-party sites were asked if they were aware that skin whitening-products containing toxic and often illegal ingredients were being sold on their platforms and whether anything is being done to monitor and stop such activity.
- Amazon told CNN: “Third-party sellers are independent businesses and are required to follow all applicable laws, regulations, and Amazon policies when listings items for sale in our store.”
- The company added that “those who violate our policies are subject to action including potential removal of their account.”
- Amazon removed the pages highlighted by CNN that were selling some of these products.
- eBay told CNN: “Only items that comply with the law are allowed to be listed on eBay and any products containing hydroquinone, steroids or mercury are banned.”
- When both eBay and Amazon were asked in a follow up why products are slipping through their surveillance, Amazon did not respond to CNN.
- eBay said: “eBay continuously updates its enforcement measures to address circumvention from bad actors. Where eBay identifies bad actors, our security teams remove their listings and take strict enforcement action against them.”
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Source: CNN
