Nigerian skin bleach commercial sparks outrage [video]

The product range encourages dark-skinned Africans to whiten their skin.

By / / Viral / 2 minutes of reading
Nigerian skin bleach

A Nigerian product commercial promoting a skin bleach lotion has divided opinion on social media.

Watch: Nigerian skin bleach TVC draws ire from social media

Hush’D, a popular Lagos-based skincare retailer, recently launched a promo campaign for its ‘Snow White’ range that includes soaps, creams and whitening oils.

The commercial features a fair-skinned woman, who steals the attention of poolside patrons in her red summer dress.

The model basks in the glory of the gawking gazes she receives as she walks in different settings, all the while leaving particularly dark-skinned admirers in awe.

Is skin-bleaching harmful to humans?

Hush’D promotes the ‘Snow White’ range as a natural skin-lightener that uses ‘premium’ ingredients “to instantly whiten the skin.”

One of the main chemicals used to produce this product is Hydroquinone, a skin-lightening agent used topically for the treatment of hyperpigmentation.

While no scientific research exists on the actual dangers Hydroquinone poses to humans, it carries a negative stigma in discourse around colourism, self-hatred and Africanism.

The Hush’D commercial, in particular, drew ire from social media over its glorification of the light skin. The campaign clearly targets dark-skinned audiences who long for acceptance in society and their proposal is the ‘Snow White’ range.

Some lambasted the retailer for promoting colourism, while others shrugged off the outrage as over exaggeration.

Here are some of the reactions we picked out: