When Iya Kande’s youngest son turned two months old, she began using a skin-lightening soap on his face and body. Kande, whose last name has been changed to protect her identity, lives in northern Nigeria. She was hoping a fairer complexion would ingratiate the boy with his grandmother, who like many in the region had come to equate light skin with beauty. But within weeks, the child’s skin began to blister and break out in rashes. It wasn’t until months later that Kande learned the cause. The soap was laced…
Read MoreAdvocates hope new ban will temper market for toxic skin-lightening cosmetics
