BFG Images

Ghanian officials are doing their part to put an end to the dangerous practice of skin-bleaching.

All Africa reports that the country’s Food and Drugs Authority have announced their intentions to ban all products that contain hydroquinone, an ingredient commonly found in complexion-lightening products, by August.

A New Class of African Designers Are On the Rise And We Love it

“From 2016, the acceptance for skin-lightening products is going to be zero,” FDA spokesman James Lartey said to GhanaStar.com.

The products, which are common in many African nations (according to a 2013 study, 70 percent of Nigerian women have admitted to using the creams in the hopes of creating a more yellow- or red-based complexion), can cause blistering and discoloration and have also been linked to skin cancer.

Tiffany Mugo Uses Technology to Tell the Stories of African Queer Women

Ghana joins a growing list of countries like the United States and Japan that have already placed bans on the harmful products.

Talk about a step in the right direction!

WANT MORE FROM ESSENCE? Subscribe to our daily newsletter for the latest in hair, beauty, style and celebrity news.