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Make-Up Industry Operators Seek Support To Avoid Collapse

Makeup industry operators have solicited government’s support in order to arrest possible collapse of their businesses.

Some of them told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that there was need for government to reduce the numerous taxes imposed on them.

They also want the government to arrest the influx of fake cosmetics into Nigeria to safeguard the health of citizens.

Mrs Uju Okechuku, the Chief Executive Officer of Zaron Cosmetics, appealed to the Federal Government to reduce the multiple taxes on small-scale businesses as it was forcing a lot of them to go into involuntary liquidation.

Okechuku said that make-up business had generated employment for many unemployed Nigerians.

She added that the brand which was conceived in Leeds, United Kingdom in 2010 and started operations in Lagos in September 2011, had trained no fewer than 3,000 persons.

“Some of us joined this business when we could not secure well-paid public or private white collar jobs.

“So, taxing us heavily will discourage others from joining small-scale businesses to reduce unemployment.’’

Mrs Clara Nwangaga, a make-up artist in Aba, also said that the business was creating a bigger industry which was feeding families, hence the need to improve product quality through proper regulation.

Mrs Joyce Adacha, the Creative Director of `D’ Dash n Blush, a Makeup Studio in Ajah, Lagos, said although there were many makeup boutiques, studios and training schools across the country, there was no regulatory body in the sector.

“This is why we want to set up Guild of Makeup Artist of Nigeria so that the body can regulate what goes in the industry.

“The body is not registered yet but hopefully it will by January 2016, so that we also will be recognised like other guilds in various fields.

“It is going to give a voice to the practitioners just like they have abroad; we will collaborate with government to help us do this and it is a work in progress’’, she said.

Ifeoma Ohia, the Chief Executive Officer, Oma’s Place Make-up Studio and School, said the regulatory agency for beauty products should step up its acts to safeguard users of beauty products.

“In Nigeria, fake and substandard products sell more because it brings in quick money for their importers or producers, but it has very serious implications on users’ health.

“Some of such products turn the colour of users’ skin, burn or give them marks. Although most of these products are cheap, they do not give you quality outcomes after your work.

“That is why the regulator should do more to ensure that substandard beauty products are not found in markets.’’

Ohia also urged users of beauty products to use quality products and to discontinue when they noticed any reactions on their body to ensure that they were not harmed further.

Another makeup artist, Lilian Udeh of Stunenerz Make-Up Studio, Aba, said there was need to control the quality of beauty products and check them regularly to ensure that they did not revert to low quality.

Udeh said that the regulator should ensure that Nigerian beauty product makers pre-tested them before introducing them into the market.

She pointed to the challenge of product quality reduction which affect the quality of their work, stressing that if the makers were checked regularly, they would not compromise standards later.

NAN investigation revealed that there were few institutions offering courses in make-up and cosmetics although there was an estimated 100,000 persons, mostly young people, being trained in beauty shops.

NAN reports that the Katsina State Craft Centre is one of such institutions where make-up is being offered as a course.

At the Centre, Hajiya Zainab Musa, the Head of Department of Make-up and Hair Dressing, said the state government had provided standard equipment for training students in the art of make-up and hair dressing.

She said the Centre trained no fewer than 500 young persons in the last five years.

Musa added that the trainees were exposed to the use of local and foreign products, including powder, foundation, eye shadows and lipsticks for their practical work.

On the side effects of make-up, Dr Ebimie Okara, a Yenagoa-based Consultant Dermatologist, said the contents of any bleaching cream would no doubt lead to debilitating medical conditions on such users in the long run.

He said “there are a number of chemicals contained in bleaching creams that could really cause users a lot of damage if they were not careful.

“Some of these creams contain mercury that react as poison that could accumulate on the body and lead to damage of livers and kidneys.

“It is important to warn against the use of chemicals, injections and some pills since the effects cannot be averted in the long run and in most cases lead to serious damage of the skin”, she said.

Mrs Nkechiyerem Jonathan, a pharmacist based in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, appealed to women to reduce the rate at which they apply make-up on their faces as it deprives the skin of fresh air and can cause cancer.

Jonathan said that the skin could absorb chemicals used in producing the facial make-up and could lead to damage of internal organs over time.

She said that although most industrial pharmacists, chemists and scientists were doing their best to produce ideal number of quality products, it was important to note that too much make-up usage was dangerous to the skin.

“Even the common mascara (makeup) can cause corneal infection due to the fact that it is a good breeding ground for Pseudomonas Aeruginosa (common bacterium).

“Some make-up products also predispose one to headache, nausea, dizziness and exhaustion.

“Lipstick, kajal sticks and eye-shadows contain carcinogen and neurotoxin that affect the nervous system to cause high blood pressure, allergies, mood swings and reduced fertility.

“The chemicals used in producing the make-up products can also get into the blood stream via skin absorption, and damage internal organs over time.’’

The pharmacist said facial make-up hasten aging process, wrinkles, acne, spots, and lines, adding that it was better to use natural skin cleansers like organic facial cleansers to rejuvenate the face every time.

She explained that natural cleansers like raw honey, raw egg yolk, cucumber, among others, were the best for the skin.

Mr Joseph Gadzama, an allergy expert at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, said cosmetics and beauty products often contain toxic ingredients that could cause cancer and other fatal illnesses.

Gadzama said “many ingredients in make-up products have been shown to cause cancer in animals and should never be used as part of beauty routine.

“Coal tar colours, phenylenediamine, benzene and even formaldehyde are some of the toxins commonly found in shampoos, skin creams and blushers.’’

Gadzama added that hormone disrupting chemicals, which could lower immunity to disease and cause neurological and reproductive damage, may also lurk in everyday cosmetics.

“Modern cosmetics contain a host of dubious ingredients which would be more at home in a test tube than on our faces.

The allergy expert said these synthetic ingredients were inexpensive, stable and have long shelf-life, noting that

“manufacturers love them, but the result from long term use could be deadly.

“It is sad that we don’t have regulatory body to check the entire loophole which allows all sort of banned substances to infiltrate the market.’’

According to him, chemicals get into the bloodstream in a number of ways.

He explained that “hair sprays, perfumes and powders are inhaled; lipstick is swallowed; eye make-up absorbed by sensitive mucous membranes and others taken in through the skin.

“The same poison that pollutes the environment, from dioxins to petrochemicals, can also be found in many cosmetics,’’ Gadzama said.

Meanwhile, the National Agency For Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), had Stipulated guidelines for registration of imported cosmetics into the country and as such, no cosmetic product shall be manufactured, imported, exported, advertised, sold or distributed in Nigeria unless it had been registered in accordance with the provisions of Act CAP F33LFN 2004 (formerly decree 19 of 1993).

It also stipulated that an application for the registration of a cosmetic product shall be made by the manufacturer but that in case a manufacturer was outside Nigeria, it should be represented in the country by a duly registered company or individual with facilities to effect a recall of the product when necessary.

The manufacturer, in the case of imported product, must show evidence that the company was licenced to manufacture and that the sale of the product did not contravene the laws the country i.e Free Sale Certificate (Certificate of Manufacturer and Free Sale).

“Mercury and its compounds and corticosteroids are not permitted in cosmetic products,’’ the guideline noted.

It further stipulated that such representative in the country would be responsible for ensuring that competent authority in the country was informed of any serious hazard associated with a product imported or any criminal abuse of the certificate in particular, to the importation of falsely labeled, spurious, corrosive, or sub-standard cosmetic products.

The guideline stated further that batch number, date of manufacture (where applicable) and best before expiry date should be displayed on the products.

Similarly, the net contents of essential ingredients in metric units, the ingredients must be listed by their common names in order of their predominance by weight.

“The label must contain directions for use (where appropriate) on the information panel (IP) or on the package insert (P1) 2(a).’’

As laudable as the NAFDAC guidelines may seem, however, operators and experts had requested that the Agency should do more.

They said NAFDAC should go beyond rolling out guidelines; it should ensure enforcement in order to safeguard lives and businesses. (NAN)

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