CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT’S APP GROUP
Antigua and Barbuda Moves to Ban Bleaching Products Amid Ongoing Public Use
Antigua and Barbuda is taking legislative steps to ban bleaching creams and skin-lightening cosmetics containing harmful chemicals, but the practice remains widespread across the islands.
Despite health warnings from officials like Dr Leroy Christian, Director of Analytical Services, about the dangers of ingredients such as mercury—linked to kidney disease and cancer—many citizens continue to use these products as part of their beauty routines.
Over 200 such items, including brands like Ambi, Carowhite, and “cake soap,” are still readily available in stores and pharmacies.
Vendors such as Topface’s owner, who has sold skin-lightening products for over a decade, say demand remains high among men, women, and even school-aged girls. “It clears blemishes and lightens skin,” said.
However, others see the trend as a deeper reflection of societal pressures.
Mental health advocate Chanel Imhof, who faced colorism growing up, says the preference for lighter skin is rooted in colonial legacies, racism, and internalised anti-Blackness.
“There’s a standard of beauty placed upon us that we’ve been taught to aspire to—one that says lighter is better,” she said.
Imhof and others urge a cultural shift to embrace natural skin tones and dismantle harmful ideals.
“Black is beautiful,” she added. “There’s nothing better than being you and loving yourself for who you are.”
While the government pushes forward with its regulatory crackdown, the skin bleaching debate continues to stir questions about identity, self-worth, and the long shadow of colonial beauty standards.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT’S APP GROUP
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT’S APP GROUP
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT’S APP GROUP
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT’S APP GROUP
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT’S APP GROUP
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT’S APP GROUP
Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]
Nobody bleaching more than Antiguans. Always love to discriminate against Jamaicans. I won’t bleach my skin. I won’t even bleach my cloths. But who want to bleach can bleach. Each to his own.
JAMAICANS lub wan bleaching cream. Even Vybez Kartel admit in a recent interview that he finally STOP BLEACH because he realize it came from a place of having low self-esteem.
Dem YARDEEZ no easy. Dem wanna “play white” but dem ghetto no wah
I don’t know since when bleaching becomes a fashion thing. Bleaching doesn’t even make you prettier. It’s makes you ugly. It damages the skin and all that. It’s so easy to identify a bleaching person from the rest of the world. A person is so pretty in their own skin! But instead they turn to damaging that skin and their life and once you’ve started bleach then there’s no turning back. I can walk down the street and see how some people are even turning pink. Look at the man in this video how he’s a totally different color for an African man. Even the person who’s buying. That’s the style, hoodie, shade, slipper and a sock. You can even find them wearing a rag and cap all to get away from the sun and you can see they are uncomfortable. Come on guys, let’s protect our sling and our health! STOP BLEACHING
Bleaching is evidently a persons choice. You cannot stop a person from bleaching. The government is only stopping these things cause they are tired of people getting sick and having to run to medical benefits and somewhat costing the government. How wild and crazy huh.
Bleaching js wrong. First of God made you in his likeness and image. Bleaching is going against God’s plan for you n your beauty. But these, mostly Jamaican people won’t care.
For once you would be doing something good.
For too long inhale asked myself if this government cannot do anything good.
Finally they are trying to do one good thing.
I recently saw a young lady who could not use her passport as a means of identification.
She is of Indonesian complexion compared to her beautiful black comeplexion in her passport.
I couldn’t understand why my beaufiful black sister would such low self esteem in her God given complecion.
She is si deeply in search of acceptance and approval that she has changed her identity.
Come on government!
Get working.
Get the legislation in place so we can save black brothers and sisters.
I would love this boy so much now he bleaching his face look like he’s going to get burned God help all you stop bleach.
Yes people can bleach their skin if they want but why are you all not proud of your complexion. You always get cancer and die stop bleaching until until you all get some diseases all sicknesses that cannot be treated by a doctor you will learn a lesson read your Bible where it tell you you should not put things on your skin make up your skin your body is the temple of God I don’t care how you all feel but you all are not supposed to beat your skin it is wrong wrong wrong stop bleaching make you look nasty at night you cannot go in the sun you’ll kind of take the heat you cannot walk without socks dirty skin you all just look so terrible bleaching nasty stop bleaching gosh man… Stupzzzz…
The only people bleaching are Jamaicans and other foreigners. Antiguans are comfortable in their black skin.
The authorities have their priorities wrong. The things you are to restrict you decriminalized. Now the youth are destroying their brains. Of course the bleaching has serious adverse effects, but revisit the weightier matters.
I am against bleaching as well but the vaccine was more detrimental than bleaching. Why the health authorities don’t address the implications of the Vax: death, cancer, kidney problems, other health problems, high blood pressure etc? Enquiring minds would like to know. Did they give us health warnings about the Vax? No. But they forced it on us knowing full well that diabolic Bill Gates said he wanted to depopulate the world. May Heaven help us all.
While your at it to stop bleaching can you see to it that the teachers get their money on time and their back pay because our children are the ones that is going to suffer while you all children go to the most expensive private schools. Thanks in advance
Look a stress! The trouble in society is, fair skin is always linked to beauty and as long that this belief exist, people, both women and men would always see the need for bleaching. Many of the bleaching products contain harmful ingredients such as mercury & high dose of steroids. These ingredients can cause kidney failure & other illness making bleaching a public health problem for governments that must be addressed. But banning alone will not completely solve the problem unless other measures are put in place. People lighten their skin because it is often seen as more attractive and provides them with greater economic advantages including jobs. Is the “butter skin” women that our men crave.
Is FULL TIME ITS GETTING OUT OF HAND