The Food and Drugs Authority in the Eastern Region on Tuesday raided some cosmetic shops in Koforidua in the Eastern Region and have seized several creams containing hydroquinone chemicals.

The action follows a ban on both importation and sale of creams containing hydroquinone by the FDA.

But according to the storekeepers of the affected cosmetic shops, due to the ban they have seized buying creams containing Hydroquinone adding that the creams seized are old stock.

“We were just here when they entered the shop that they work at FDA and that they are seizing creams containing Hydroquinone, they didn’t give us any notice, for the past six months we don’t get creams containing Hydroquinone due to the ban so what we have here are old stock”. A storekeeper told Kasapa FM’s Eastern Regional Correspondent, Kojo Ansah.

Hydroquinone cream is a bleaching cosmetic used to treat age spots, freckles and other skin discolorisation. Hydroquinone can be carcinogenic if used over a long period.

The directive of the FDA banning the product follows the standard set by the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) on hydroquinone which required that cosmetics should be free from the harmful chemical.