Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority has pledged to ban the sale of cosmetic products containing skin bleaching agent hydroquinone in August.

“Concerning skin lightening products, we are saying that from August 2016, all products containing hydroquinone will not be allowed into the country. From 2016, the acceptance for skin lightening products is going to be zero,” FDA spokesperson James Lartey told GhanaStar.

Hydroquinone is banned in Japan, Australia and the EU, and is thought to be carcinogenic, as well as the cause of rashes and skin infections.