Why are dangerous skin creams still making millions?

The skin-lightening industry is booming, while at the same time there has been a surge in cancers and irreversible skin damage among women of colour using unregulated products. But this is not a new story. The dangers of skin-lightening products have been well documented for years, so how is this still happening? ►https://bit.ly/ItsComplicatedSubs

Josh Toussaint-Strauss digs into the long history behind the practice of skin lightening, and how the beauty industry has used messaging rooted in classism and colonialism to sell its products, as well as investigating what unregulated products are doing to the skin

The skin-lightening industry is generating huge profits in countries in Africa and Asia, exploiting the message that lighter skin will make you happier, more attractive and successful. This is a notion rooted in a colonial legacy of racism and oppression, which is hugely problematic in itself, but beyond perpetuation of colourism, there’s also the problem that the cheaper, unregulated skin-lightening products can cause irreversible skin damage, and some reports even describe these products being marketed for use on babies and young children.

📌 Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:49 The skin-lightening industry is booming
01:57 What skin-lightening do to the skin
03:57 The long history behind the practice of skin-lightening

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