Business
The Skin Lightening Business is Booming in Kenya—Though No One will Admit it By Kang-Chun Cheng
DEEP WITHIN NAIROBI’S Central Business District (CBD) on River Road, countless stalls hawking wigs and beauty products overwhelm the senses. “Mafuta, mafuta,” the shopkeepers call out to you, which means “oil” in Kiswahili. Upon entering the maze of shops, a staggering assortment of facial creams and serums with labels ranging from French to Arabic emerges. The models on the boxes and bottles are all light-skinned, many with blue eyes and blonde hair. Despite governmental bans on skin lightening products and a growing global movement to embrace one’s natural beauty—from nappy hair (natural and chemical free) to dark skin—the covert business of lightening skin color thrives all the same. Few people are willing to admit or speak openly about this aspect of their skin care regimen, as it is generally frowned upon by society even as the lighter skin that one is born with or comes as a result of skin lightening is elevated in society. The message is clear: We want our women lighter, but we want it to appear natural. There is the desire for beauty to seem effortless, an unwillingness to divulge such secrets. But the implications for lightening skin color extends beyond intimate bodily care or self-perception, but into the realm of social constructs and accessibility to opportunities that manifest themselves in tangible ways, from landing certain jobs to even impacting the person one marries. The complex topic of skin tone matters prevails in the context of professional opportunities and social hierarchy and has further complicated issues stemming from neocolonialism. It is an issue that affects non-white populations worldwide as ideas of racial superiority have transported the ideal of white skin as being the epitome
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of beauty. Furthermore, preference for lighter skin exists in many communities, with some ethnic groups reportedly preferring light skin over dark skin. “I’ve lightened my skin for 10 years,” says Irene Kahoti, the shop owner of a stall called Babyface. Beyond needing to personally advocate for the products she sells, she likes how it makes her look. “They’re brought in mostly from Kampala, some from Congo,” Kahoti says. “Wherever we can get them from. My connections from working in this business for a long time means my buyers know what products I want to sell, and I don’t have to worry too much about the source.” The lack of regulation underpins how dangerous and untraceable these products are. The formulas generally contain hydroquinone, steroids, mercury, and hydrogen peroxide elements, the most popular active ingredients required to slow down melanin production. Many sellers recommend swapping products after a few months’ use, not only because that particular brand may no longer be available, but also because the harshness of the ingredients requires the user to take a break and switch to different formulas periodically to replicate similar effects.
The science behind skin lightening For skin lightening to work, melanogenesis— the process to synthesize melanin—must be inhibited. Injections or tablets of hydroquinone are most effective in this case, but the health ramifications are severe. Glutathione, a popular melanin inhibitor, is an active ingredient found in soaps, but can now also be obtained in the form of intravenous treatments and antioxidant supplement tablets. Patchiness may be bad enough, but they are overshadowed by much more serious health DAWN
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