Rwanda National Police

About 650 pieces of assorted skin bleaching cosmetics were seized from various traders in Nyagatere District on Wednesday.

The “Police targeted operation” was conducted in Mimuli market in Mimuli Sector, Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Hamdun Twizeyimana, Eastern region Police spokesperson, said.

The impounded assorted skin bleaching products include Carotene, Diproson, Caro-Light, Clear Men, Epiderm Crème, White-Marks, Lovely Carrot, Coco Cream and Body-Cream, among others.

The products taken off the shelves are among 1,342 cream and oil brands with hydroquinone and mercury prohibited in Rwanda. They are labeled illegal under the ministerial order determining the list of cosmetics whose use is prohibited in Rwanda; law on organization, functioning and competence of the Council of Pharmacists; law governing narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors in Rwanda; and the law relating to the regulation and inspection of food and pharmaceutical products.

CIP Twizeyimana warned traders against dealing in “illegal and harmful products.”

“These products were taken from four shops and owners were handed varied penalties including fines, but the operation is continuous; don’t deal in products that are prohibited because you will be breaking the law and putting yourself into losses when these products are seized,” CIP Twizeyimana advised.

Rwanda National Police (RNP), Ministry of Health as the lead agency, Rwanda Food and Drug Authority, Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) and Rwanda Standards Board (RSB), launched the joint operation against skin bleaching creams, oils and soaps, late last year.

Medics suggest that the two toxic chemicals; hydroquinone and mercury react with ultraviolet rays and lead to more pigmentation and premature aging. The more these products are used the less melanin the body produces, and this leads to an increased risk for skin cancer.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), mercury in skin lightening soaps and creams has side effects on the kidney, cause skin rashes, skin discoloration and scarring, as well as a reduction in the skin’s resistance to bacterial and fungal infections.

Other effects include anxiety, depression or psychosis and peripheral neuropathy.

Mercury in soaps and creams, according to medical experts, is eventually discharged into wastewater, and then enters the environment, where it becomes methylated and enters the food-chain as the highly toxic methylmercury in fish. Pregnant women who consume fish containing methylmercury transfer the mercury to their fetuses, which can later result in neuro-developmental deficits in the children.