Skin lightening creams have been banned in Ivory Coast due to health concerns, the health ministry says.
The health ministry says “cosmetic lightening and hygiene creams… that de-pigment the skin… are now forbidden”.
Whitening creams have been popular for years among young women – and some men – across Africa, who believe they make them more beautiful.
Medical experts say they may cause cancer, diabetes, severe skin conditions and other diseases.
“The number of people with side-effects caused by these medicines is really high,” Christian Doudouko, a member of Ivory Coast’s pharmaceutical authority, was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
However, analysts say the ban may not stop people buying the products.
They are still used in The Gambia despite a ban.
South Africa has the world’s toughest laws against skin lighteners, having prohibited the most active ingredient – hydroquinone, but a University of Cape Town study found that more than a third of South African women still buy them.
The use of whitening creams in Africa is most widespread in Nigeria – where more than 75% of women buy them, according to a 2008 UN Environment Programme study.
At least sixty people have been crushed to death and more than 200 injured during New Year festivities in Ivory Coast’s main city Abidjan, officials say.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday near a stadium in the central Plateau area of the city where a fireworks display was held.
The cause of the stampede is not yet clear. It occurred as people were heading home after the event.
Most of the dead are believed to be children aged between eight and 15.
The death toll is expected to rise.
The crush happened near the entrance to the stadium after the fireworks ended at about 02:00 local time.
According to some reports, thousands of people were trying to leave the stadium at the same time as another large crowd was trying to get in.
“In the crush, people were walked over and suffocated by the crowd,” Lt. Col. Issa Sako, head of the military rescue effort, told public television.
At least 60 people have been crushed to death and more than 200 injured during New Year festivities in Ivory Coast’s main city Abidjan
The site is littered with abandoned clothes and blood stains.
Relatives have gone there to get news of missing loved ones.
The distraught mother of a 9-year-old boy told local media: “I have just seen all those bodies, but I can’t find my son.”
The 65,000-capacity Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium was named after the founding president of Ivory Coast.
The fireworks event had been organized to celebrate the recently re-established peace.
The night before the tragedy, the stadium hosted a concert by Chris Brown.
[youtube 2v4kIPuf7fE]
