Body creams and lotions contain Hydroquinone

Accra, Sept. 05, GNA - The Ghana Standards Boards (GSB) has warned the general public, especially women, to be wary of body creams, lotions and gels on the market that contain high amounts of hydroquinone which are dangerous to human.
Hydroquinone has been banned by the European Union (EU) and throughout Asia due to its high concentration and for being carcinogenic.
Hydroquinone is known for gradual lightening of hyper-pigmented skin conditions such as acne spots, freckles, age spots, cholasma, melasma and other unwanted areas of melanin hyper pigmentation. Speaking with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview in Accra, Mrs Kistina Biritwum, Deputy Executive Director of GSB in charge of Commercial Services, said this was detected during analysis conducted on samples brought to the Board by its Destination Inspection Team. She noted that the recommended level of hydroquinone in body creams in Ghana was two percent traced to an EU document on "Rules Governing Cosmetic Products" for 1999 and anything above this was against the required standards.
Mrs Biritwun noted that the Ghanaian market was flooded with body creams, lotions and gels with high amounts of hydroquinone. She described it as dangerous and expressed concern that the demand for them by Ghanaians had increased tremendously. The products included Maxi Light lightening and purifying lotion and cream, Clair Liss toning cream, G&G body lotion, lightening beauty cream and lotion and Lightening beauty cream from the USA with the brand name Dowmy.
Others are Sivoclair lightening body lotion, Clear Essence Skin beautifying milk, Skin light skin cream, Akagni Luxury lotion, Niuma skin lightening body lotion from Spain and Marie Claire lightening beauty cream and All Clear bleaching body cream. Mrs Biritwum said the hydroquinone levels in these products ranged between 0.5 per cent and six percent instead of the recommended two percent.
"One can imagine what will happen when such a product is used excessively," she said.
Mrs Biritwum explained that most of these products came through the Elubo border and expressed worry that though GSB was in close collaboration with Customs, Excise and Preventive Service, some of these materials still found their way onto the Ghanaian market.
She advised that the public should always look out for the hydroquinone content on whatever body cream, lotion or gel they bought. "People's faces and skins are being mutilated by these dangerous cosmetic products and there is the need to create the awareness for people to know the product they are using.
The Food and Drugs Board (FDB) confirmed that the market had been flooded with these products which had high levels of hydroquinone and even steroids.
Mrs Delese Darko, Principal Enforcement Officer of FDB, told the These are Cr=E8me Cocoa Butter body lotion, one of skin light product, Bio Claire lightening body cream, Clear Essence body cream (450g), Maxi Light Body cream (500ml) and Niuma body lotion 500ml. She also reiterated the need for the public to be cautious of what they bought since hydroquinone was carcinogenic and could cause cancer. Mr Ben Botwe, Deputy Executive Director of FDB, said the Post-Market Surveillance unit of the Board had samples with high levels of hydroquinone.
He said when such products were detected the Board embargoed and destroyed them.
He called for programmes to educate the public on the dangers of such products and cautioned importers and manufacturers on the need to have products that met the standards of the country. 5 Aug. 06