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CNN
‘I would whiten my skin no matter the cost:’ CNN readers around the globe tell of the pressure to look whiter.
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CNN/LaylahBird/E+/Getty
Skin whitening: What is it, what are the risks and who profits?
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Kathy Kim for CNN
Rwanda made the sale of skin whitening products a crime. It’s working, but underground market persists
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Illustration: G Smith/CNN; Screenshots: Ponds, Nivea, L'Oreal, Glow and Lovely
After rebranding in the West, many beauty companies are still offering to ‘whiten’ skin elsewhere
For over a decade, Amira Adawe has devoted her life to putting an end to the skin lightening industry, particularly the use of creams that contain toxic levels of mercury. Here's how she's doing it.
• Video 6:31
CNN
Video Skin lightening is an $8.6 billion industry. This woman is trying to stop it 6:31
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• Video 3:21
CNN
Video Mercury found in some beauty products can enter the bloodstream, the brain and breastmilk 3:21

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CNN
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Exposing the harms

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CNN
Why CNN is launching a new series on skin whitening
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