By Dr. Oyintoun-emi Ozobokeme

Walk through any Nigerian market, scroll Instagram for five minutes, or open your WhatsApp status, and you will see the same message on repeat, your skin is a “problem” to be fixed. ‘Blemish set’. ‘Knuckle eraser’. ‘Seven days whitening’. ‘Two shades lighter by weekend’. A quick search for ‘Skin Bleaching and Skin Lightening ’ (SBSL) or ‘blemish’ on Nigerian Instagram on tiktok pulls up hundreds of accounts selling creams, soaps, serums, and so-called ‘organic’ mixtures that promise a lighter, clearer complexion.

Behind these beautifully packaged products are harsh realities doctors and nurses know too well; thinning skin, stretch marks, stubborn acne, steroid damaged faces, kidney and nerve problems from mercury, and burns from uncontrolled hydroquinone. What is sold as ‘glow’ often ends up as long-term health damage.

This is not just a beauty issue. It is public health, consumer protection, and environmental justice problems. And Nigeria already has more power to act than we are using.

Nigeria is not starting from zero. NAFDAC has long-standing regulations that restrict or ban certain bleaching agents in cosmetics. Nigeria is also a party to the Minamata Convention on Mercury, a global treaty that requires countries to phase out SBSL products with high levels of mercury. From time to time, NAFDAC issues alerts, seizes illegal creams and soaps, and publishes lists of banned products.

Yet, if you walk into many markets or check popular online vendors, you will still find the same types of products that are supposedly banned. Mercury- and hydroquinone-based creams are still being mixed in back rooms and sold in plastic containers. Strong steroid creams are still being marketed as everyday ‘face creams’ Instagram and TikTok vendors advertise without ingredient lists, without batch numbers, and without any fear that somebody will show up and ask questions.

On paper, Nigeria is awake. In practice, our shelves, DMs, and delivery bikes tell a different story. Other countries are also struggling with this problem, but some of their policy steps offer clear lessons for us.
In the United States, for example, over-the-counter (OTC) SBSL products with hydroquinone were quietly pushed off regular shelves after 2020. Under a federal reform, hydroquinone products are now treated as drugs that require proper approval, not casual cosmetics. In practice, this means that high-strength hydroquinone for hyperpigmentation is supposed to be prescribed and monitored by a licensed clinician, not scooped into unlabeled jars by a random vendor.

In the European Union, mercury is banned in cosmetics, and there is a stronger system for recalls. When harmful products are identified, regulators can force companies to withdraw them and publicly list them as dangerous. Some regulators also work with online marketplaces to remove illegal listings. Globally, through the Minamata Convention, countries have agreed that mercury-containing SBSL products should disappear from legal trade. At the same time, WHO and other partners now talk openly about the links between SBSL products, racism, colorism, and mental health. They stress that banning ingredients is important, but changing beauty norms is equally critical.

The first lesson for Nigeria is simple: laws and treaties are only as strong as their enforcement. It is not enough for NAFDAC to issue occasional alerts or publish lists on a website that most market women and Instagram users will never see. Enforcement has to be visible, consistent, and adapted to where the products are sold today: border crossings, open markets, salons, social media and even the regular ‘Mama Kiki down the road.

The second lesson is that we must stop hiding behind vague language like ‘toning’, ‘organic’ and ‘blemish correction’. These words are being used to disguise what is, in many cases, chemical lightning. If a cream promises to change your shade or “whiten” you, that is a health claim , not just a cosmetic statement. Such claims should attract the same level of attention as false medical claims about fake cures.

The third lesson is that policy cannot ignore culture. Many Nigerians do not use these products because they are ignorant of the risks. They use them because of deep pressures tied to job prospects, marriage expectations, social media beauty standards, and the long history of colorism. If we only attack the products without confronting the beliefs that make them attractive, we will drive the trade further underground without reducing demand. Because tell me why healthy skin is supposed to be without blemish? Who made that rule!!!
So what should Nigeria do differently?

First, we need a serious, joint enforcement strategy. NAFDAC cannot do it alone.

Customs, Standards Organization of Nigeria, law enforcement, and health authorities need a shared plan to identify, test, and remove toxic SBSL products from circulation. This includes random checks in markets, salons, and spas, as well as targeted operations against wholesale importers. Publicizing seizures and naming brands and locations will send a signal that this is no longer a “harmless” trade.

Second, regulators must move into the online space. Social media has become one of the biggest “shops” for these products. NAFDAC and other agencies can work with platforms, major influencers, and payment services to flag and remove vendors who sell clearly illegal products or refuse to list ingredients. Just as platforms now respond to complaints about fraudulent investment schemes, they should respond to evidence of illegal toxic creams.

Third, we should strengthen labelling and ingredient rules and actually enforce them. Any product that touches the skin should have a clear ingredient list, batch number, manufacturer information, and NAFDAC registration that can be verified by consumers. Products without these basics should not be treated as harmless “side hustle” items; they should be treated as high-risk.

Fourth, we should bring dermatologists and other qualified clinicians to the center of this conversation. Some Nigerians do have genuine medical reasons for wanting to treat hyperpigmentation, melasma, or acne scarring. The answer is not to shame them or leave them in the hands of untrained mixers. The answer is to make safer, regulated, and supervised care more accessible. This might mean clearer guidelines on when and how prescription products like hydroquinone and topical steroids may be used, and strict consequences for pharmacies and clinics that abuse them.

Fifth, and most importantly for the long term, Nigeria needs a national campaign that says plainly: your skin is not a blemish to erase. This campaign should not be a one-off poster or a generic TV jingle. It should bring together health professionals, schools, Nollywood, musicians, influencers, religious leaders, and community groups to challenge the idea that lighter skin is automatically better, more employable, or more beautiful. It should show real stories of people who have been harmed by “toning” and celebrate the many shades of Nigerian skin as something to protect, not bleach away.

We have done this before for other issues. We have run campaigns on HIV (Generation-Negative 2022), on COVID-19 (#CelebrateResponsibly, 2021), on polio (wild polio-free certification, 2020), on tobacco (Don’t Burn Their Future,2024), and on drug abuse (WADA, 2021). We know that when we combine clear policies with strong public messaging and real enforcement, behavior can change.

The question is whether we are willing to treat toxic SBSL products as seriously as they deserve. Not as a private women’s problem. Not as something to joke about on Twitter. But as a national health and consumer protection issue that affects skin, kidneys, babies, self-esteem, and even our environment.

Nigeria has already signed the global treaties. We already have NAFDAC regulations. We already have expert dermatologists and public health specialists raising the alarm. What is missing is political will, coordination, and a clear message to traders and consumers that this chapter is coming to an end.

If we can regulate codeine syrup and clamp down on fake drugs, we can regulate toxic “lightening” creams.
Our skins and the generations coming after us deserve nothing less.

Dr. Oyintoun-emi Ozobokeme. MD MPH