The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control has warned users of bleaching creams to desist from using products with excess hydroquinone to safeguard their health.
NAFDAC Bauchi State Coordinator, Mr Hamis Yahaya, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Bauchi on Tuesday.
Hydroquinone is a skin-lightening agent used to treat hyperpigmentation, such as melasma and age spots.
Yahaya said that the approved quantity of the chemical substance in cosmetics was only two per cent.
According to him, NAFDAC conducts checks on market products to ensure public health.
“The black colour provides natural protection against harmful radiation due to melanin content.
“Applying creams with hydroquinone contents more than two per cent is harmful. Mixing creams by non-experts is wrong.
“Hydroquinone affects the health of the users gradually, including causing cancer,” he said.
Yahaya urged the media to create awareness in order to stem down the use of cosmetics that would endanger the lives of consumers
