Skin-lightening creams are dangerous – yet business is booming. Can the trade be stopped?
On a crisp, sunny morning a couple of official vehicles, including a police car, pull into a quiet cul-de-sac in a seaside town. Officers get out and knock on the door of one of the houses, then proceed to search it: every cupboard is opened, every box. Old furniture is pulled out of the garage. The officers, who are from both London and the local council, and are funded by National Trading Standards, scour the property, hunting for illegal skin-lightening products imported from Asia and Africa. Jars are bagged and tagged while the inhabitants of the house are interviewed. These products will be sent to a lab and tested. If they meet legal requirements, they will be returned. If they don’t, they will be destroyed, and a formal criminal prosecution will begin.