Almost 60% of skin whitening cosmetic products contain one or several illegal components. Such is the conclusion of a study conducted by the Belgian Scientific Institute of Public Health (ISP) on the components banned in whitening cosmetic products. And it represents a real danger for consumers.
Whitening products are sometimes used by people with fair skins to even out their complexion or soften age spots, but they are also popular among individuals of African and Asian origin to reduce the intensity of their complexion.
“There is a new analysis method which better detects the legal and illegal components present in the suspected whitening products”, explains Dr Éric Deconinck, expert of the Medicine service at the ISP. “Thanks to this new method, it is now possible to detect different hazardous products in cosmetics such as creams, gels, oils and soaps”. In order to study the problems and hazards of counterfeit cosmetics, 163 suspected skin whitening cosmetic products were seized on the Belgian territory. The analysis of these products by the ISP and by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) has shown that two out of three contained one or several illegal whitening components such as corticoids and hydroquinone.
“ The use of cosmetics containing illegal components without any medical follow-up may provoke aesthetic problems such as streaks, pigmentation spots, skin irritation, inflammation, hypersensitivity and a reduction of skin elasticity, but it can also cause health-related disorders such as burns, hormonal imbalances, allergies, a risk of foetal malformation for …
