Depigmentation : Financial resources for the state ?

Behind the depigmentation are significant financial flows in which the state has an interest in being interested in the absence of being able to come to the end of the practice.

The issue of depigmentation was covered so much by the media that it ended up not moving. More, in fact, which made it more commonplace, it is the fact that almost all women do. According to a study, this practice concerns more than 75% women in Benin. This rate is even higher when you consider the men and women who do it without realizing it. Indeed, several cosmetic products contain substances that depigment the skin without this being indicated on the instructions.

Depigmentation is the consequence of the enhancement of tanned or fair skin to the detriment of a frankly black complexion. It is done through various lotions or products based on chemical components that destroy melanin, this substance that gives the skin a black color. It is therefore in Africa that depigmentation is common, but also in India and wherever black peoples are found (Americas, Melanie…).

Depigmentation is a dangerous practice for the health of those who engage in it. Several awareness campaigns have shown the consequences to the point where today no one can invoke the lack of information.

For such a global phenomenon whose misdeeds are known to all, it may seem surprising that it persists. Nothing, at present, indicates that there will be a brake. On the contrary, skin stripping products are diversifying. Depigmentation has become a profitable business. "Skin whitening brings in billions and competes with the drug market. Entire factories in Togo, in Ivory Coast, in Nigeria, in South Africa manufacture whitening products », reveals Catherine Tetteh, president of the NGO Melanin Foundation cited by Jeune Afrique. And these products are dumped on the market without control and often even with loud advertisements..

Confronted with this, it is therefore obvious that neither prevention nor repression can do anything. Those who do will continue, for the majority, out of admiration for fair skin or to seduce those who flatter them. The companies that make it their business will continue, they too, to flood the market with their products and this through publicity.

So, why should the state not get its share of the windfall generated by the sale of these products ? Often, people who suffer from the health consequences of depigmentation are those who have few financial resources. In one way or another, the state subsidizes their care. It is therefore legitimate to introduce a special tax on all cosmetic products containing chemicals known for their ability to destroy melanin.

This is done for products like cigarettes and alcohol, and with varying degrees of success in terms of discouragement. Indeed, an exponential increase will discourage low-income consumers and make those who are better off think twice. And, while waiting for the desired effect, the state will see its funds replenished.

                                                                                                     Pierre MATCHOUDO