MORE THAN 70 MILLION NIGERIANS ARE BLEACHING THEIR SKINS.

Nigerian cosmetologist, Pela Tonye Okiemutie, ‘the bleaching expert’.
His cosmetological miracles include his own personal journey through bleaching, as well as helping many.

Abuja, NIGERIA:

According to one estimate, more than 70 million people in Nigeria use skin-lightening products regularly, making Africa's most populous country the capital for skin bleaching. Some women reject the trend, saying their natural dark skin is beautiful. But, Nigeria remains a huge market for skin-whitening products.

Twenty-five-year-old Nigerian model and actress Goodness Ben visits a cosmetic shop in Abuja.

She wants to be famous and says bleaching her skin could increase her chances at getting more movie roles.

"Yes this is Nigeria, a fair skin is business. In the movie industry most times the director wants you to like glow, in fact you should be camera friendly. You know most times dark people tend to...will I say resist? But they are more beautiful and catchy when they come in contact with camera,” Ben.

Pela Tonye Okiemute, is widely known as the King of Bleaching in Nigeria, and he sees nothing wrong in turning himself into a white man from his original dark skin.

The Rivers State born dude claims to be a beauty and skin whitening expert and is gradually getting invites to celebrity events and parties.

According to a 2011 estimate from the World Health Organization, 76 million Nigerians, mostly women, use skin-lightening products regularly.

Some darker-skinned Nigerians are pushing back against the idea that lighter is better. They say black is beautiful with the so-called “Melanin Movement.”

The arrival of an American reality TV star to launch her skin-lightening line in Lagos stirred up some controversy in on, December 2018 as people debated how harmful skin-bleaching is and if it's appropriate for celebrities to promote such products.
That said, if you take a stroll down the cosmetics section of any Nigerian market or superstore, there is a high chance you will come across a variety of skin lightening products ranging from soaps, creams, and serums. Blac Chyna's arrival aside, Nigeria is one of the largest markets for bleaching products.

Blac Chyna came under fire after she took to Instagram to announce she is launching a skin lightening cream, with beauty brand, Whitenicious.

The global market for skin lightening products is growing and is estimated to reach $20 billion by the end of the year, driven by strong demand among men and women across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

Skin lightening products are unbelievably popular in Nigeria. The World Health Organisation (WHO) published a report in 2011 estimating that 77% of Nigerian women use skin lightening products regularly. This is in comparison with 59% in Togo, 35% in South Africa, and 27% in Senegal. In fact, bleaching products are reportedly the fourth most sought-after household item by African women, alongside essentials like soap, milk, and tea.

In Lagos, the skin lightening market has found a permanent home. The industry is so huge that it adequately caters to individuals of different social class. Product prices range from as little as ₦5,000 to as high as ₦150,000, depending on the brand and method of application. The amount of people who use skin lightening products is quite alarming in a country where the minimum wage is only ₦18,000. And, unsurprisingly, the exposure to popular western culture has also led to a demand for more expensive foreign products and consequently led to higher prices.

Tina Ohanu says she doesn't need to bleach her skin.

"My confidence really doesn't come from my skin, it comes from within... and I still get as much attention from the male folks as every other lady should, so I don't think it has anything to do with my confidence,”
Ohanu said.

Bleaching products usually contain hydroquinone, corticosteroids or mercury as key ingredients.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), Mercury is a common ingredient found in skin lightening soaps and creams. It is also found in other cosmetics, such as eye makeup cleansing products and mascara.
Skin lightening soaps and creams are commonly used in certain African and Asian nations.
They are also used among dark-skinned populations in Europe and North America.
Mercury salts inhibit the formation of melanin, resulting in a lighter skin tone.

Mercury in cosmetics exists in two forms: inorganic and organic.
Inorganic mercury (e.g. ammoniated mercury) is used in skin lightening soaps and creams.
Organic mercury compounds (thiomersal [ethyl mercury] and phenyl mercuric salts) are used as cosmetic preservatives in eye makeup cleansing products and mascara.

Some manufacturers are no longer using mercury as a preservative in mascara and eye makeup cleansing products as a result of consumer pressure. However, most jurisdictions

still allow the sale of makeup products containing mercury compounds.

These chemicals could have a range of side effects when used regularly, according to skin experts.

"You can have stretch marks, the skin becomes fragile, doesn't heal properly, sometimes you can have...some of them can give you abnormal skin odor, abnormal odor, excessive sweating, poor wound healing...so, and then it ages faster,”
Haroun said to Voice of America(VOA)

The beauty industry in Africa is worth several billion dollars and increases by 8 to 10 percent every year.

Nigeria is one of the prime destinations for many beauty agents produced abroad.

Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Rwanda banned all whitening products while Nigeria joined South Africa in barring those with harmful chemicals.

While these moves help promote natural and healthy skin tone, however, the Melanin Movement is still dwarfed by Africans' demand for skin-lightening products.

Comments

CUBA CLAIMS CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER IS FIDEL CASTRO'S SON.

The suicide note left by Fidel Castro’s eldest son has rocked the Cuban nation this week, with the most astonishing revelation being the claim that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was his half-brother and the son of the late Fidel Castro. The handwritten note left by Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart, 68, the eldest of Fidel Castro’s children, appears to confirm the longstanding rumor in Cuba that Fidel Castro fathered Justin Trudeau after a public tryst with Margaret Trudeau in 1970. “ Castro Diaz-Balart, who had been attended by a group of doctors for several months due to a state of profound depression, committed suicide this morning ,” Cubadebate website reported. The death of the high-profile government nuclear scientist, also known as “Fidelito”, or Little Fidel, because of how much he looked like his father, stunned the nation, however it is his “ explosive ” suicide note that has set tongues wagging in Havana. Amid a wide-ranging barrage of compl...

WOMAN WHO HAD 44 CHILDREN BY 36 YEARS-OLD BANNED FROM HAVING MORE BABIES.

Kampala, UGANDA: Mariam Nabatanzi had her first set of twins when she was just 13 and has since had another five sets, three sets of quads and four sets of triplets Mariam Nabatanzi suffers from a rare genetic condition and had given birth to 44 children by the age of 36. Tragically, Mariam has been left to raise her massive family alone after her husband walked out on her almost four years ago. Now 40, doctors have taken action to stop Mariam having more children after it emerged her father had 45 children with several different women. Mariam has three sets of quadruplets, four sets of triplets and six sets of twins and incredibly manages to care for and feed them all on her own. The fertile mum was just 12 when she was married to her husband, who at 40 was 28 years her senior. Just a year later she gave birth to her first set of twins. Now, she and all of her kids have no choice to live in appallingly cramped conditions in just four ...

LIONEL MESSI WINS A FIGHT TO REGISTER HIS NAME AS TRADEMARK.

A European court has ruled that Lionel Messi, the world's top earning footballer, can trademark his own name. The Barcelona and Argentina striker fought a seven-year fight to be able to use his name on sports goods. His original application was challenged by the Spanish cycling brand, Massi, which argued that the names were too similar and would cause confusion. But the EU's General Court ruled that the footballer was too well known for confusion to arise. The ruling comes days after France Football magazine reported Mr Messi had overtaken Cristiano Ronaldo as the highest earner in football, with an income of €126m (£108m). Mr Ronaldo is making €94m, the magazine said. Mr Messi's application to trademark his name was made to the European Union Office for Intellectual Property (EUIPO) in 2011. It ruled against the footballer, saying the names were similar, because their dominant elements, "consisting of the terms 'Massi' and ...

GERMANY INSTALLS CABLES OVER HIGHWAY TO POWER HYBRID TRUCKS.

A stretch of a prominent Germany highway just got a high-tech upgrade: overhead power lines — like the ones you only see over rail tracks — that can power hybrid trucks. The German government announced that a 6-mile (10 km) stretch of the autobahn got the upgrade, a test that could pave the way for a new carbon neutral strategy to transport goods. The system, developed by German conglomerate Siemens in 2012, allows hybrid trucks to charge their batteries while traveling at speeds of up to 56 mph (90 km/h). Image: Siemens. Similar stretches of electric highways have been built in Sweden and the United States. Other solutions for charging electric vehicles while on-the-go include rails built into the asphalt . Electrifying truck transportation could also save a tonne of fuel: 20,000 euros' worth for every truck traveling 62,000 miles (100,000 km), according to Siemens’ website . Source: World Economic Forum.

MARTIN LUTHER KING'S FAMILY DISAPPOINTED BY NIGERIANS.

A family member of Martin Luther King, Isaac has cleared the air on controversies surrounding the award given to President Muhammadu Buhari. Naomi Barbara King (R), a matriarch of the King family presenting a ‘commemorative plaque’ to president Buhari. Speaking to TVC, Isaac Luther King said his family’s visit to Nigeria was humanitarian refuting reports that they were paid to embark on the move. He expressed disappointment in Nigerians for the criticisms trailing his family’s visit to Buhari. According to him, he came to establish a bond with Nigeria based on his family’s love for the country. He told the TV station, “I am the nephew of Martin Luther King Jnr, I served for a period of five years as president of King’s centre. You cannot buy me or anyone else in my family “So the fake news, slander on my good character is a lie. “Anything that I have done or said about your president came from my heart or brain not based on any compensation, mon...

DENMARK CALLS FOR EU BAN ON ALL DIESEL & PETROL CARS BY 2040.

An anti-exhaust emission traffic sign is pictured in Copenhagen, Denmark April 18, 2017. Image: Reuters. Luxembourg, LUXEMBOURG: Denmark, backed by 10 other European Union countries, on Friday called for an EU-wide ban on diesel and petrol cars by 2040 to combat climate change. Denmark made the proposal during a meeting of EU environment ministers in Luxembourg. The EU aims to cut carbon emissions in the bloc by 40 per cent by 2030 while its executive, the Commission, plans to reduce them to zero by 2050 to help stop global warming. "We need to acknowledge that we are in a bit of a hurry," Danish Climate and Energy Minister Dan Jorgensen told Reuters after the meeting. He said the diesel and petrol car ban will hopefully put pressure on the Commission to propose a phasing out of fossil fuel-powered vehicles in the bloc in the coming two decades. Denmark made headlines in October 2018 when its government announced that it would ban the sale of a...

NIGERIAN SENATORS EARN MORE THAN TRUMP AND UK PM, SAY CHIEF OYEBOLA

Image:premiumtimesng.com. Chairman of the Movement for Nigeria’s Total Transformation, Chief Areoye Oyebola, has faulted the Nigerian federal lawmakers for ignoring the widespread call for the downward review of their “monumental salaries and allowances.” Oyebola said the recent outburst of the federal legislators by the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), was just one of many criticisms that had trailed the lawmakers over the years but to which they had turned deaf ears. “It is also strange, unthinkable and very disheartening that a senator, not minding the grinding poverty of Nigerians, earns $1.7m a year, which is far higher than the $400,000 yearly income of the United States’ President, whose stupendous country is the richest in the world. Even a member of the House of Representatives also earns more than the American President. What a tragic and pathetic situation! “Worse still, each of our National Assembly member...

MALARIA VACCINE PROVES HIGHLY EFFECTIVE IN BURKINA FASO.

A vaccine against malaria has been shown to be highly effective in trials in Africa, holding out the real possibility of slashing the death toll of a disease that kills 400,000 mostly small children every year. The vaccine, developed by scientists at the Jenner Institute of Oxford University, showed up to 77% efficacy in a trial of 450 children in Burkina Faso over 12 months. The hunt for a malaria vaccine has been going on the best part of a century. One, the Mosquirix vaccine developed by GlaxoSmithKline, has been through lengthy clinical trials but is only partially effective, preventing 39% of malaria cases and 29% of severe malaria cases among small children in Africa over four years. It is being piloted by the World Health Organization in parts of Kenya, Ghana and Malawi. The Oxford vaccine is the first to meet the WHO goal of 75% efficacy against the mosquito-borne parasite disease. Larger trials are now beginning, involving 4,800 children in four countries. Prof ...

WHY CHINA'S DOG-MEAT MARKET HAS EXPANDED.

Every year during the summer solstice, a dog-eating festival takes place in Yulin, a city in the southern Chinese province of Guangxi. This year’s event ended with the usual controversy. Photographs of dogs being fried or treated cruelly went viral. The Jinhua Hutou Dog Meat Festival, as it is called, was abruptly canceled last week. Animal-rights activists and American congressmen demanded that China ban the eating of dogs and cats, as Taiwan did in April. Yulin’s local government took modest steps to restrain or hide some of the more contentious activities, such as selling dogs in food markets. Still, the festival was packed. Why has the controversial culinary habit become so popular in China? Contrary to cliché, dog meat has not always been a common item in the Chinese diet. Unlike in the West, eating dogs has never been taboo, but it appears to have been rare in the past. Government accounts single out butchers who sold dog meat, suggesting it ...

ONE IN SEVEN PEOPLE IN HONG KONG IS A MILLIONAIRE.

While many people dream of being in the top 0.01 percent of wealth in the world, in Hong Kong that dream is far more likely to be a reality. According to a recent Citibank study, statistics showed the city's population in 2017 was 7.36 million and it had a million millionaires in the same year. In other words, one in seven people in Hong Kong are millionaires. Hong Kong had a million millionaires last year, up 15% from a year earlier, 68,000 of whom have at least 10 million Hong Kong dollars, or $1.27 million, according to a Citibank study released Thursday. The study defines millionaires as those with liquid assets - deposits, mutual funds, and stocks and bonds - of 1 million Hong Kong dollars ($127,430). It was conducted from September to November last year and involved 4,139 Hongkongers and 200 mainlanders. Lau Man, 76, the chairman of the Hong Kong Reparation Association, in Hong Kong in 2015 with his 100,000 Japanese military yen left by his father....

Kioo17 Journal

Search This Blog