Nollywood actresses have found a new fad. Apart from appearing on movie screens, many of them now trade in skin-lightening creams, soaps and other cosmetics.
In an industry where most people tend to place a premium on a light-skinned complexion as the epitome of beauty, these actresses are smiling to the bank with their various skincare products which have different names but achieve the same results: embellishing the skin tone of the users.
It is not news that many actresses now look lighter than they were when they first got into the industry and they credit their transformation to the creams they use which they in turn sell to their fans and customers who patronise them in droves.
Some of the ‘emergency’ cosmetologists include Iyabo Ojo, Fathia Williams (Balogun), Mercy Aigbe, Ronke Oshodi-Oke (Ojo), Biodun Okeowo, Mosun Filani, Moyo Lawal, Joke Jigan, Susan Maxwell and Abimbola Ogunnowo, among many others.
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However, while the entrepreneurial drive of these actresses is worthy of praise, this venture has also attracted criticisms as experts posit that these products cause skin cancer in the long run. It also reinforces a negative stereotype that one has to be light-skinned to be considered beautiful.