221124155938-20221124-white-lies-gfx-super-169
CNN
‘I would whiten my skin no matter the cost:’ CNN readers around the globe tell of the pressure to look whiter.
20221201-skin-lightening-explainer-hero-1-gfx
CNN/LaylahBird/E+/Getty
Skin whitening: What is it, what are the risks and who profits?
01 as equals skin whitening ban rwanda illo
Kathy Kim for CNN
Rwanda made the sale of skin whitening products a crime. It’s working, but underground market persists
20220408-skin-whitening-products-card-gfx
Illustration: G Smith/CNN; Screenshots: Ponds, Nivea, L'Oreal, Glow and Lovely
After rebranding in the West, many beauty companies are still offering to ‘whiten’ skin elsewhere
For over a decade, Amira Adawe has devoted her life to putting an end to the skin lightening industry, particularly the use of creams that contain toxic levels of mercury. Here's how she's doing it.
• Video 6:31
CNN
Skin lightening is an $8.6 billion industry. This woman is trying to stop it 6:31
Thumbnail Mercury Explainer 02
• Video 3:21
CNN
Mercury found in some beauty products can enter the bloodstream, the brain and breastmilk 3:21