Fair skin as a beauty ideal underpins the global bleach cream industry – valued at US$8.6 billion. There is a nascent backlash against the practice, which endangers health and can perpetuate racism.
Barry Ciccocioppo, a spokesperson for the state Department of Health, said it has been a “challenge” to collect demographic data not just in Pennsylvania, but across the country, as many states - including Pennsylvania - rely on Centers for Disease Control guidance, while others establish their own reporting practices.
