In some African countries, more than 50% of women regularly use skin-lightening products. In South Africa, the rate is 32%, while in Nigeria it's 77%. This dwarfs rates in other regions of the world.

South Africans noticed a viral TikTok of an American woman casually discussing popular SA bleaching creams The clip gained strong traction as locals shared jokes and concerns about the long-standing ...

In these cultures, pale skin was associated with wealth and status, as it signified that one did not have to work outdoors in the sun. During the colonial era, the preference for pale skin spread to ...

In Africa and Asia, having fair skin is associated with higher status, privilege and beauty - Copyright AFP ELVIS BARUKCIC In Africa and Asia, having fair skin is ...

Susan Anderson, age 52, sits in the corner of a sunlit waiting room at a dermatology clinic in Nigeria's capital, Abuja. Dark patches of skin, dotted with brighter pigments, surround her eyes and ...

While it’s nowhere near its early 20th-century peak, the dangerous practice of skin bleaching — using creams, injections, or other products to lighten one’s complexion — has never truly disappeared.

It’s 2025, and the obsession with achieving lighter skin is thriving more than ever. Light skin was and is still glorified, seen as a higher standard of beauty and socio-economic status, while darker ...