The "whitening" cream known as "Caro White" that Haitians sell freely in the streets of the Dominican Republic has crossed the border and in countries like Chile, it has become so popular, that it is imported from Haiti in large quantities...

The massive arrival of this product on the market, forced the Chilean Government to prohibit the importation on the recommendation of health services that revealed the presence in this cream, of "hydroquinone" (a product that serves to lighten the stains dark on the skin, such as age spots or freckles), a chemical component whose use is prohibited in Chile for aesthetic purposes.

Chilean health authorities consider that the level of hydoquinone in this cream is harmful to health and call not to use it.

The massive importation of this cream without sanitary registration and the circumvention of the customs restrictions was made possible because of a contradiction between legal texts, one of which authorizes the foreigners arriving in Chile in possession of this cream, to enter it on the country for their personal use.

SL/ HaitiLibre