By Lughadarini Yogaraja

What if the ‘golden ticket’ to lighter skin came with a hidden cost? I’m sure all our bathrooms are neatly stocked with various creams, serums, and face masks that promise stardom, whitening glows, and masks that swear you’ll shine brighter than the moon. In 2025, the global skincare industry is set to pull in over US$430 million, a booming market that heavily relies on fairness creams. However, in reality, Sri Lanka needs to finally call time on one of the biggest beauty lies: that fair skin is the ultimate goal for everything.

In a bold and refreshing move, the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) recently issued a public warning after tests found unsafe levels of heavy metals in several skin creams and lotions sold in Sri Lanka, and officially banned 49 products containing high levels of harmful toxins such as lead, arsenic, mercury, and cadmium. This decision, long overdue, is more than a public health measure; it's a vital cultural reset for us to understand that behind that bright, glossy cream tube is a dangerous myth packed with serious side effects ready to be sold.

In Sri Lanka, most women have been victims for decades of ads and influencers’ brand unboxings. Product launch campaigns flood our social media screens, showing us that we can gain more preference and happiness by simply applying a whitening cream. Due to the constant beauty industry pressure, suddenly, your future depends on whether your skin tone has moved five shades lighter in two weeks: to be noticed, to get a new job, or to successfully secure a partner. These creams were marketed as miracle solutions, but the only real transformation they brought was self-doubt and a hospital bill to treat sudden skin breakouts and forever oozing acne marks due to the high dosage of unknown chemicals that we so carelessly ignored.

What they didn’t show in those mesmerising ads were the side effects of severe irritation and burning sensation, or the prolonged peeling, and long-term skin damage caused by unregulated ingredients they kept selling. Why did we continue? Absolutely, because they played on deep-rooted insecurities fed to us by society, media, and sometimes even family, passed down through generations as intergenerational trauma.

Somewhere along the way, we internalised the belief that lighter skin means a better life. That success, desirability, and elegance are somehow tied to fairness. Remember when we watched and read the story “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”? It’s a kind reminder to us ladies not to go full Snow White and take a bite out of that shiny red apple! The Evil Queen’s “wishing apple” looked magical, too… until Snow White crashed into the ultimate coma. So, skip the apple that many well-marketed companies script into lies to fool you into the fairness fantasies.

It is also our duty when shopping to be detectives, spotting real products from sneaky counterfeits hiding behind fake sites and social media. These aren’t just cosmetic fads; they're public health risks. Authorities are monitoring and actively trying to control the confiscated shipments, shut down illegal dealers, and launch awareness campaigns to educate the public on the dangers of using such creams.

However, this ban isn’t just about protecting our beautiful skin; it is about protecting and enhancing our own self-worth. Constantly remembering that every shade was beautifully made. It's time we all unlearn what we were taught in those fairness cream ads. Dark skin isn’t something to fix, it's something to flaunt. Brown is not second best. Melanin is not a mistake.

The future of beauty isn’t bleached. It’s bold, brown, bronze, black, beige, and every shade of hue under the sun. The real glow comes from within: from confidence, kindness, hydration, sunscreen (yes, always!), and maybe a splash of coconut oil if you’re feeling fancy.

Let’s celebrate our beautiful freckles, tan lines, and above all, the natural melanin. Let’s teach the next generation to love the skin they’re in, never to bleach it out of fear or false beauty standards.

You don’t need a whitening cream to shine. You already do. Just as you are!