The FDA has said that several of such products have been banned since January.
Speaking before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) hearing in Parliament on Wednesday, the Acting Chief Executive of the Food and Drugs Authority, Mimi Darko said his outfit is also using laboratory tests to identify such creams.
“The bleaching agent in most bleaching creams is hydroquinone and the Ghana standard now is, there should be zero percent hydroquinone in bleaching creams and the Food and Drugs Board, being the regulatory authority, has taken that standard and we are now implementing it. So, since January this year [2017], we don’t register a product that has hydroquinone in the product.”
She said her outfit has also held meeting with cosmetic sellers on the market and “is working with them to ensure that those creams are not available on the market.”
“The lab is also testing to make sure that even if they try and hide it, we will find it is laboratory analysis,” she warned.
Many health practitioners in Ghana have expressed worry about the damage being caused by such products and have since warned against their usage.