User:Nicoledibi/sandbox

Many companies advertise white or light skin as not only a cosmetic change, but a lifestyle change. White beauty implies a lifestyle of “sophistication, beauty, power, and wealth.” Mass advertising and marketing from the US and Europe, as well as multiple mass media forms are used to reach other cultures to influence their purchasing habits. Many of the skin lightening products sold usually have celebrity endorsements, further increasing sales and the desire for lighter skin. These products can cause serious damage to skin and pose a health risk to the consumer.

In a study done by S. S. Agrawal and Pallavi Sharma on eleven skin lightening products sold in India, it was found that “mercury was detected in all the samples of the skin lightening creams in the range of 0.14–0.36 ppm.” This study also observed that none of the brands tested include mercury as an ingredient on the packaging, which may mislead consumers regarding health risks. In a report by the World Health Organization, it was stated that “skin whitening products can cause leukemia, liver and kidney cancer and could also result in severe skin conditions.”  Though these health risks exist, women of color in many parts of the world are purchasing skin lightening creams.

Choma and Prusaczyk’s survey of women of color in the US and India “show[s] that chronic surveillance of skin tone predicts skin tone dissatisfaction and skin bleaching.” Some companies in the cosmetic industry have capitalized off of the cultural pressure and standards for having lighter skin. This study concluded that “skin bleaching is not merely a physical or aesthetic change, but one with potentially wide-ranging implications on psychological well-being and, more broadly, the perpetuation of racist ideologies and beauty standards.”