Rwanda made the sale of skin whitening products a crime. It's working, but underground market persistsBy Umuhoza Rahmat, for CNNThis story is part of 'White lies', a series by CNN's As Equals, investigating skin whitening practices worldwide to expose the underlying drivers of colorism, the industry that profits from it and the cost to individuals and communities. For information about how CNN As Equals is funded and more, check out our FAQs.
Musanze Sierra asks to use a pseudonym for fear of being caught by the authorities. The 27-year-old shopkeeper explains that she can't maintain her seven-year skin lightening routine because a ban has made the products unaffordable. In 2018, the Rwandan government began enforcing a nationwide ban on cosmetics and hair dyes containing harmful chemicals like hydroquinone or mercury, making it illegal to produce or sell most skin lightening cosmetics. So now, Sierra has a pressing problem: finding a new supplier. Because of the stiff penalties attached to getting caught, smugglers"refuse to sell them to just anyone," she tells CNN.
Ivory Coast, 2015 Ban on all cosmetics with mercury, steroids, retinol derivatives, vitamin A and hydroquinone above 2%.
Why can’t you live and let live, some people are trying to brown up some people have tattoos, body piercings, teeth whitening, manicures, massages, sun beds, hair straightening, hair curling, to make a world we can’t all be like you.
It's good for the mental health of those women. They won't feel pressured to whiten their skins because lots of people are doing it
Is it a criminal act? Amazon is ... Armen