By Candy Margaret Vizengwa

When was the last time you checked the ingredients in your face cream or questioned whether the lotion promising a ‘glow up’ is legally sold and free of health risks? It’s a question most of us rarely ask, especially when influencers flood our timelines with stories of impressive skin transformations, and e-platforms sell skin-lightening products at extremely low prices.

Beneath the filters and flashy packaging lies the true cost of these beauty regimens for lighter skin: mercury. While not all products contain mercury, the presence of other toxic chemicals like hydroquinone does not make them any safer for consumers. These chemicals, added as active ingredients, are meant to limit melanin production, leading to noticeable whitening—but at the cost of severe health risks. With the growing popularity of online markets, social media, and e-platforms, the sale and use of mercury-laced products have been on the rise.

The Illegal Sale of Toxic Products

Despite bans, these beauty products continue to be sold illegally in Kenya, as mapped out by the Center for Environment Justice and Development (CEJAD) through monitoring and sampling creams from online marketplaces. The ease of purchasing them online has lured people—regardless of age, gender, or complexion—into bleaching their skin. The demand often overshadows concerns about quality, as seen in the rise of ‘mikorogo’ (homemade skin-lightening mixtures), leading consumers to disregard safety risks.

The Hidden Dangers of Mercury

The effects of mercury are far from the glamour portrayed. Inorganic mercury compounds found in these products can cause gastrointestinal damage, hormonal disruptions, and skin disorders. A fact sheet published by the Zero Mercury Working Group (ZMWG) in 2019 reported cases of kidney damage due to long-term use of mercury-containing skin-lightening creams. When users discontinued these products, their kidney function gradually improved.

Further studies published by PubMed indicate that chronic mercury poisoning from these creams causes severe pain in the limbs, head, abdomen, or lower back—pain that is often resistant to medication. Additional symptoms include renal damage, irritability, tremors (in the eyelids, tongue, or limbs), insomnia, vivid dreams, depression, anxiety, and memory loss. Sadly, symptoms of mercury poisoning often appear too late, after irreversible damage has been done.

Why Are People Still Bleaching?

The bigger question remains: why do people continue using skin-lightening products despite the known risks? A study published by PubMed and Dove Medical Press found that peer pressure (39.9%) and social media (37.4%) significantly influence the use of these products.

In a fact-checking survey conducted in February 2025, a group of university students from the Roysambu area in Nairobi participated in an anonymous online poll to explore why young people choose to bleach their skin. Many cited the desire to please their partners, low self-esteem due to darker skin, societal pressure linking fairness to beauty, and the hope of professional advantages as key motivators. Despite these personal reasons, skin bleaching remains a taboo topic, with many avoiding open discussions about it. However, online platforms continue to fuel the trend by promoting and glorifying quick results, often endorsed by influencers.

While traditionally seen as a women’s issue, skin lightening is also gaining popularity among men. A meta-analysis published in the International Journal of Dermatology found that approximately 28% of men globally have practiced skin bleaching.

“I have interviewed girls and women who have used these products and experienced severe side effects. Many believe they must look smart and impress men, which leads them to modify their appearances,” says Dr. Justa Mwangi, a postdoctoral researcher in Kenya specializing in gender issues.

The preference for lighter skin extends beyond personal relationships to workplace biases. Unfortunately, the same people who promote this ideology in personal spaces often reinforce it in professional settings, perpetuating colorism in Kenyan society. This ongoing cycle leaves more people vulnerable to the deadly effects of mercury exposure.

What Has Been Done?

While authorities have made efforts to crack down on physical beauty shops selling banned products, online markets remain a major challenge. The anonymity of online transactions allows sellers to operate through WhatsApp groups and Telegram channels, frequently changing names, promoting herbal mixtures that falsely claim safety, or offering “private” sales to customers.

In Kenya, the Food, Drugs and Chemical Substances Act (Cap. 254) prohibits the sale of cosmetics that can cause injury to health when used as directed. Additionally, the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has banned several products, including 435 cosmetic items announced on October 31, 2022. These included skin-lightening lotions, creams, gels, and soaps containing hydroquinone, mercury, and its compounds.

Kenya is also a signatory to the Minamata Convention on Mercury, an international treaty aimed at protecting human health and the environment from mercury pollution. Article 4 of the treaty mandates a ban on mercury-added products, including cosmetics with over 1 ppm mercury by 2020, and all mercury-added cosmetics by 2025. As a result, the manufacture, import, and export of these products must be halted to curb their sale and distribution. However, despite these clear guidelines, enforcement and compliance remain major hurdles.

The recent Libreville Commitment urges African nations to collaborate in eliminating mercury-containing skin-lightening cosmetics and increasing public awareness. With ongoing research and policy reviews, governments must act now to eliminate mercury in consumer products and ensure compliance, particularly by enforcing stricter regulations against the illegal sale of these products in online markets that prey on uninformed consumers.

The Way Forward: Awareness and Action

The battle against mercury poisoning begins with awareness and action. Authorities must enforce strict regulations, and consumers must take responsibility—read labels, question online beauty trends, and resist the pressure to conform to dangerous beauty standards. After all, beauty should never come at the cost of health.

The Author is a Journalist and Communications Personnel at the Center for Environment Justice and Development (CEJAD).