Fake Beauty Products Flood Yaounde Markets

There is a growing consumer interest for beauty and personal care products in Cameroon. Middle-income and high-income consumers in the country's urban areas, particularly young female adults and professionals, continue to place more emphasis on personal grooming, with many viewing a well-groomed appearance as helpful to their career success.

This growing interest is seen through the use of fragrances, hair care and skin care products. But what worries many is the quality of beauty and cosmetic products sold in markets. Information indicates that a majority of beauty products sold in most markets in the country are counterfeited thereby causing serious problems on the body of most people who use them, particularly women.

Recently in the South-West Region, a woman was rushed to the hospital after using a fake hair relaxer. After applying the hair relaxer on her hair, she waited for the required time needed to have her hair relaxed. In the course of washing off the hair product, she realised that her hair was falling off. She was immediately taken to the hospital where it was told she used a toxic product on the hair. However, some say the lady is amongst the fortunate few to have used a fake beauty product with little negative effects. Some fake hair products are not only said to have off-rooted the hair of some ladies, but have left them with serious burns that took months to heal.

Despite the large number of fake cosmetic products, women continue to put their health at risk by using such products to meet some obscure standards of beauty. Many women spend a big chunk of their income on beauty products to keep up with the trend, oblivious of the fact that some of the products were long-declared unfit for use. Some of the brands include body hair creams and facial lotions amongst others. Most of the products are bleaching items. Researchers say some of the products results to health risks like skin cancer, nervous disorder, kidney failure and allergies. Despite the existence of a law that prohibits the sale of fake beauty items, they continue to flood the market, says a trader in Yaounde. Dealers have been warned against such products but they have ignored such warnings.