Every woman values beautiful and flawless skin. With locally produced skincare products now dominating online platforms and attracting huge patronage, Funmilayo Aremu reports on how safe these cosmetic products are and how they are made.
Caleb (not real name) woke up at 6 a:m on Monday, rushed in and out of the shower, got dressed and dashed off to his place of work. He did not wait for his wife whom he knew would take her time to apply her whitening cream and makeup after vigorously scrubbing her face with the new product she just bought before going to work.
Caleb knows this to be his wife›s skin care routine. But while he appreciates her quest to have a flawless skin, he detests having to be kept waiting. Caleb, like every other man, knows women love to take care of their skin and some of them will stop at nothing to have the ‘perfect’ skin.
The business of looking good is as old as humans and is certainly not ending soon. Today, the quest by many ladies to get what they describe as the near-perfect skin is fueling a fast-growing organic cream industry with experts warning that this could lead to a surge in cases of skin cancer in no distant future.
Findings by Sunday Tribune revealed that the business of skin toning and/or lightening continues to boom with a large number of skin care vendors taking to social media platforms to advertise their products through different means that could easily lure their patrons.
To many of these cream and soap makers, it doesn’t matter the ingredients of the cream, they already have an army of prospective customers who are easily swayed by pictures and visuals of «before and after» moments of alleged patrons of their products. But investigations revealed that while some of these products give immediate solution to the skin problems their clients may have, they sometimes do more harm than good in the long run.
Information gathered by Sunday Tribune also showed that celebrities aid the patronage of these skin products. They post their skin transformation on their Instagram handles, prompting their fans to enquire about the products they applied and thus pushing many of such fans into the hands of these online skin products makers. The experience has left many of them with tales of regrets.
Yellow Fever: Craze for the ‹perfect skin› as job for the girls… and boys
For many young Nigerians, the pressure to look perfect has become a trend that is making many skincare producers rich but sadly creating many untrained cosmetologists in the unregulated cream mixing industry. For many of the consumers, seeing what their favouritescelebrities do on social media do to enhance their skin usually is a reason for them to give it a try.
Sunday Tribune gathered that the popular vendors now employ services of celebrities as brand ambassadors for their products and one could observe that many actors and actresses flaunt skincare products of different brands they represent just to draw more patrons.
In search of the perfect cream, consumers – especially young women – try their hands on different skincare products. Only a handful worries about the chemicals or ingredients such products contain. Most of them use these products without any bother.
But who are the faces behind these skincare creams and soaps? Investigation revealed that many unemployed youths have found a lucrative business in skincare making. Some of them have taken up the craft of producing skin care products, advertising and selling them on their social media platforms. They make products such as glow oil, whitening cream, toner, body butter, face scrub, blemish remover and all sort of beauty enhancement products. It was also gathered that their clientele mostly consists of women and they enjoy a very high level of patronage.
When Sunday Tribune visited one of the vendors’ production sites, it was discovered that she has no professional qualification or certification to produce skin care products. Further enquiries revealed that some of these vendors only go through online training from fellow vendors or certified cosmetologists. Some of them, it was learnt, did not go through any formal training from certified cosmetologists, but “acquired” their “skills” through ‘Do it yourself’ videos posted on YouTube pages of vendors who claimed to have gone through trainings. Findings, however. showed that while some actually acquired requisite knowledge, many of them did not.
A visit by Sunday Tribune to the office of a vendor who mixes the product in Ibadan showed that certain hygienic factors were not taken into consideration while making the product. In fact, it was also observed that the vendor only cares about sales and not the effect of the chemical she mixes into making of the cream.
A dermatologist, Olufemi Adeboye, who also makes organic cream, confirmed that there were mind-boggling cases of skin reaction as a result of bad skincare products from unprofessional producers of the products, adding that the trend is becoming worrisome and many people keep falling victim.
Sunday Tribune spoke with some skin care brands to shed light on the possible misconceptions about their craft. According to CEO of Stemma Stores Beauty and Skin care, Stella Oloruntobi, she trained with a NAFDAC approved brand and her skin care products are made from organic and natural ingredients. She noted that over 80 per cent of her customers have come back with positive feedback after using her products.
“I understand that some people are not well trained to make skin care products, but I did a five-week training with a NAFDAC approved brand, then some online courses with a different NAFDAC approved brand. I still intend to go for more classes with brands that are duly registered, because learning doesn’t end,” she stated.
According to her, she produces her products from scratch by using “natural ingredients and raw materials like distilled water, natural and essential oils, AHAs, Butters, etc. These ingredients are safe to use on the skin as they help in repairing, moisturizing and glowing the skin.”
Another professional skincare expert who doubles as CEO of FAB Empire, Abiodun Onaolapo, said she makes customised skin care products for her clients and has never received negative feedbacks.
“I produce pure organic products like whitening creams and lotions, glow oils, body scrub for all skin types and products that treat all kinds of skin reactions. I have a diploma in cosmetology; my products are custom made. My customers love my products because they are safe and work perfectly on their skin.”
While speaking on the possibility of some skin care products like whitening creams causing damage to the skin, Oloruntobi advised that people should appreciate their natural skin and use products of trusted brands.
“People have to start appreciating their God-given skin tone. Most of the products people use on their skin nowadays all in the name of having a fair skin tone is too strong and bad for the skin.
“You can use skincare products that will help enhance your skin glow and, of course, there are natural powders (actives) that help lightens and whiten the skin which, at the same time, are safe for the skin. But these powders take time to work on the skin. Most people aren’t patient in using them. That is why they go for stronger cosmetics products that can whiten their skin quickly and which can damage their skin over time.”
Both Oloruntobi and Onaolapo revealed that they test their products to make sure they are safe for use before selling, warning people against patronising brands that do not have well-trained staff, who they accused of just “mixing chemicals” that can cause skin damage.
Why we use these products
Just as Oloruntobi and Onaolapo said, many of these products enjoy huge patronage. According to Jade Olajide, a student, the skincare product she uses has been working for her.
“I use glow oil and it has been working like magic. I have not noticed any side effects or negative reactions since I started using it five months ago. I also use face cleansers and scrub; my skin has since been flawless.”
For Ajoke Saheed, a banker, these skin care products have saved her from the embarrassment she usually suffers as a result of blemishes that used to be on her face.
“My face had so much acne. It was embarrassing; some of them were so big, I had to use band aids to cover them up. Then I started using the face mask and toner I got from an online vendor. After two months, the acne disappeared as if it was never there in the first place,” she acknowledged.
Hazards of skin perfection
In spite of the glowing testimonials from people who patronise these vendors, medical experts who spoke with Sunday Tribune insisted that many of these products hawked about are dangerous, blaming the incident on the social media, which they claimed “is ramping up pressure on young people to be perfect” by seeking multiple solutions to create goddess-like skin tones for themselves.
The Dermatologist Society of Lagos (DSL) has been on the issue of people seeking to change the colour and/or tone of their skin, educating and warning on the danger inherent in such.
Creams, according to the society “contain chemicals which may have both wanted and unwanted effects. Many of the creams being pushed on social media and bought over the counter either have chemical compounds that are not stated or have not been proven safe. It is unwise to use such products because you will not be making an informed decision.
“Skin lightening creams cover a range of products that bleach and lighten the skin. They do this by targeting the cells that produce melanin. Melanin is responsible for the pigment in our skin, and for protecting us against the harmful effects of the sun.”
“The side effects vary depending on the contents of these cosmetic products. The commonest used are corticosteroids, hydroquinone and mercury. Each of them comes with their own complications and several overlap.
“The side effects are cutaneous (skin) and systemic. The effects on the skin include, but not limited to striae, skin thinning (atrophy), multiple colours (dyschromias), thin and visible veins (telangiectasia), dark knuckles and elbows, facial hair (facial hypertrichosis) and body odour. Cushing’s syndrome, hypertension, hyperglycemia (diabetes mellitus), adrenal insufficiency, cataracts, immunosuppression, kidney failure and skin failure are systemic side effects that can be found.”
They recommended that the sale and production of these products be regulated and certified by NAFDAC.
“Cosmetic products both locally and internationally produced must be safe for human use. The government agency responsible for certifying them safe and of good quality is the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC). There should also be TV and radio documentaries highlighting the dangers of these products. In addition, there should be prosecution of defaulting local producers of these harmful products.”
“The producers of these cosmetics products should follow the guidelines set out by the regulatory body regarding locally produced cosmetic products. Write out the ingredients/contents of their products for the consumers to be informed about what they are purchasing.”
Speaking further on how to adequately care for our skin, the DSL disclosed that a good skin care routine should be simple and inexpensive.
“Wash with a gentle and mild cleanser (toilet soap, not medicated), using circular motions with your hands on your thinner skin like the face, and perhaps a soft wash cloth on the body. Your bath water should be tepid to cool, avoid hot baths.
“Pat your skin dry and do not rub vigorously with your towel, moisture (apply body cream) straight out of the shower or after a bath whilst your skin is still damp. Simple, non-fragranced body creams are advised. Avoid unlabelled ‘organic’ or natural creams and soaps without registration number or listed contents
“Avoid the full glare of the sun, seek sunshade, use sun hats, and apply sunscreen at daytime. Drink lots of water; at least two to three litres a day. Eat a portion of fresh fruits and vegetables with each of your three-square meals. Remove all makeup before going to sleep and ensure to get up to six or seven hours of sleep daily,” they advised.
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