After the syrup scandal, India’s cosmetics industry has come under scrutiny for toxic products. Yet, the sector is still growing, especially via online sales. Although India banned misleading ads and requires prescriptions for certain beauty creams, little has changed. What is more, the demand for skin-lightening products continues to grow despite known long-term side effects.

Milan (AsiaNews) – Syrups are not the only potentially toxic merchandise to come from India, several beauty products widely used in the South Asian country, especially those to lighten the skin, reportedly contain toxic and carcinogenic agents; despite this, the industry appears to be enjoying a steady growth.

According to a study published late last year by Local Circles, one in four Indian households have had problems with cosmetics purchased in the previous three years, with 15 per cent complaining of allergic reactions.

Indian police have seized expired and counterfeit products worth thousands of dollars in several cities. Cosmetics are among the most widely traded consumer products in India, illegally as well, and at least 55 per cent of customers who have purchased toxic beauty products online have not been able to return it.

According to Statista, the Indian cosmetics industry was worth USUS$ 20 billion in 2020, driven mainly by online sales. In the first half of 2023, sales grew by 13 per cent nationwide, while the amount Indian shoppers are willing to spend on self-care jumped by as much as 20 per cent with single orders averaging US$ 15.

Indian women prefer in fact small orders, taking advantage of offers, which have spread mainly through Telegram; in 2023, purchases through this messaging platform quadrupled to 10 per cent of the total, and Indian brands could see the year end with a 20 per cent rise in online sales.

After scandals related to the deaths of children in Uganda and Uzbekistan who were given Indian-made cough syrups, the Indian parliament approved a new law in September to regulate  the import and sale of drugs and cosmetics, revising legislation that dated back to 1940 and was therefore inadequate for today's commerce. 

Still, something is missing, experts point out, namely controls of the final products and of the ingredients used in making them before they reach markets.

The New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment has found, for example, that more than 40 per cent of skin lightening creams contain mercury, which blocks the production of melanin but is also highly harmful if not downright fatal, as noted at the 2013 Minamata Convention that regulates the content of various products, including cosmetics.

India has set the same limit as the European Union, with a concentration not exceeding 0.007 per cent of the total weight of the product.

One of the beauty products most used by women in India (but also Africa and Middle East) is skin whiteners. This process has lately come to include surgery.

This year’s sales in skin-lightening products are expected to reach US$ 19.2 billion, and almost double to US$ 37.9 billion by 2033, thanks to growing demand in Asia.

Skin lightening is a practice that dates back to colonial times, when having fair skin meant being closer to the ruling elites. With independence, the standard of beauty remained unchanged in countries where people have mostly darker skin.

In India, women with darker complexions, which are also associated with lower caste status and outdoor manual labour, are often subject to discrimination – ads and matchmaking sites (more than 90 per cent of marriages are arranged in India) include  fair skin as trait men seek in a wife.

Several investigations note that whitening products not only contain mercury, but also corticosteroids, like betamethasone, which should only be used for short periods under a doctor’s supervision.

On the long run, this type of hormone can cause acne, hirsutism (excessive body hair), and photosensitivity. For many women, the use of these creams can become addictive, and any interruption of its use can cause the worst symptoms to appear on the face, such as flaking, itching and redness.

Despite legislation banning their sale without a prescription, little has changed in India, especially in rural areas, where many sellers are unaware of the reclassification of products while women have said they were unaware of the side effects and bought the creams after seeing online ads.

In 2020, the Indian government was forced to increase penalties against companies that promote fair skin products with false and misleading messages.

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• india
• cosmetics
• lightening
• whitening
• toxic
• exports
• syrups
• regulation
• legislation