It’s an unbelievable number: nearly 77 percent of Nigerian women — the highest percentage in the world — use skin-lightening products on a regular basis, according to the World Health Organization.
“Skin-whitening products represent one of the rapidly growing segments in the global beauty industry,” reports Companies and Markets. “With the concept of beauty in the 21st century revolving around a flawless and fair complexion, there is rising discrimination based on skin color.”
Skin lightening is big business in Africa, especially Nigeria. Take the success of a skin lightening product Whitenicious by Nigerian-Cameroonian pop musician Dencia. The product sold out almost immediately after its recent release. Three weeks after its debut in January, sales surpassed 15,000 units as demand grows in Nigeria for skin-lightening products.
Dencia is a true believer in lightening skin and said she has become several shades lighter over the years. “Why did I get a couple of shades lighter than I was? That’s a personal choice,” she said in an Ebony interview. “That is what I wanted to be… I’m very daring. I like trying things. I’m not doing it because I want to have boyfriends. And I’m not doing it because I want anybody to accept me. It’s because I just wanted to do it.”
According to Dencia, however, her product is selling best outside of Africa. Eighty percent of people who buy her products are African American, and 10 percent are white, she told Ebony. Her African market is just 10 percent, “because guess what? They don’t have credit cards to buy the products and I’m only taking credit cards or PayPal,” she told Ebony. “And they don’t have that access. I have white people from Europe, America, and everywhere buying Whitenicious.”
Whitening products aren’t cheap. Whitenicious costs $150 for 60 milliliters.
Michael Akolawole is a cosmetic dermatologist and lecturer at Ekiti State Teaching Hospital. He spoke to AFKInsider.com about skin whitening.
“It is a multi-billion dollar market in Africa with Nigeria taking the largest chunk,” Akolawole said. “It is profitable business for the manufacturer, importers and marketers. Demand is inelastic, and with (an) abnormal demand curve, meaning that no matter the price demand will continue to be steady.”
Olanrewaju Falodun, a consultant dermatologist at the National Hospital in Abuja also spoke to AFKInsider on the subject. Falodun said use of skin whitening products is based mainly on “wrong” perception.
“There is a wrong belief that the light-complexioned ladies are more beautiful and acceptable to men,” Falodun said. “Over time ladies who are dark complexioned who have internalized this wrong perception tend to lighten their skin to improve their sense of self worth. The other reasons are ignorance and peer pressure.”
Akolawole cites his own study of 500-plus students and 500 women in the market. Many use skin-whitening products to correct blemishes, sunburn, and discoloration from early aging, he said. The chemicals used in skin-lightening products are mainly alpha hydroquinone, steroids and mercury-containing creams. Kojic and alpha hydroxy acids are frequently used.
He said he understands the trend.
“Light skin is attractive and flashy,” Akolawole said. “Dark skin looks dull except in a few cases of those that appreciate the natural black beauty.”
There are major health complications from skin lightening.
Long-term complications of skin lightening include thinning of the skin, skin infections, stretch marks and exogenous ochronosis — bluish black discoloration of certain tissues, Falodun said.
Even with side affects, don’t expect sales of skin-lightening products to decrease. According to Companies and Markets, the skin-lightening market is expected to be worth $19.8 billion by 2018, driven by demand among both men and women predominately from Asian, African and Middle East regions.
via@AFKInsider