Bleaching: Beware Of Organ Damage, Cancer, NAFDAC Warns

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control  (NAFDAC) has warned Nigerians against  using unauthorized cosmetics and dangerous chemicals to bleach their skin to enhance  beauty. 

A statement from the agency Sunday said the Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, gave the warning during a two-day retreat by the agency’s Top Management Committee (TMC) in Lagos.

She warned that the bleaching agents cause skin cancer, organ damage and death.

She said: “We don’t just ban products because they are bleaching agents but are prohibited because of safety issues surrounding particular ingredients in the products as they could cause skin cancer as well as damage the liver and kidney. “

She noted that many of the importers smuggle the products into the country under the guise of global listing to bypass NAFDAC inspection, adding that bleaching has become a pandemic amongst both women and their male counterparts.

She expressed concern with the proliferation of beauticians engaged in formulation of unauthorized chemicals applied on unsuspecting clients.

He said most Spa outlets in the country’s cosmopolitan cities are culpable of the unhealthy practice of mixing chemicals and natural products like pawpaw, carrot, etc to make creams for their clients’ use. 

She added that these are thereafter packaged, labeled, and sold online to clients. 

She said the Spa owners had gone further to influence some clinics with medical doctors joining to carry out these nefarious activities which had advanced to include injected substances vitamin C infusion and glutathione on clients.

According to her, the challenge in the enforcement of the agency’s safety regulations on bleaching agents at spas and other beauty parlors is that the products are prepared extemporaneously and covertly for individual clients and therefore, the offending products are rarely seen on the shelves of these facilities. 

She warned that the practice must stop as anyone apprehended by the agency would be prosecuted and jailed if convicted. 

She said it was for safety reasons that the use of mercury was banned in cosmetics.