Analysis of Depigmenting Substances of Interest (Hydroquinone, Kojic Acid, and Clobetasol Propionate) Contained in Lightening Cosmetic Products Marketed in Burkina Faso

The practice of voluntary depigmentation is still prevalent in Africa, with a wide range of lightening cosmetics used. Our objective was to research and quantify three regulated and/or prohibited depigmenting ingredients present in lightening cosmetics sold in Ouagadougou. Twenty-nine lightening cosmetic samples were collected from vendors and HPLC analysis was subsequently conducted to identify and measure the concentrations of hydroquinone, clobetasol propionate, and kojic acid. The presence of hydroquinone was indicated on the label of 13.79% of the products, while 51.72% contained it after analysis. Furthermore, none of the products mentioned a concentration of hydroquinone exceeding 2.00%, even though 27.58% of them contained high concentrations. For clobetasol propionate, its presence was stated on the labels of 13.79% of the products, while 31.03% contained it. One sample had a clobetasol content exceeding 0.05%, although none mentioned a concentration higher than this value. Finally, while 24.13% of the samples claimed to contain kojic acid, only 17.24% did. We also observed that 41.38% of the samples contained combinations of two depigmenting ingredients investigated, with a predominance of the hydroquinone + clobetasol propionate (27.38%). These results demonstrate that manufacturers’ declarations regarding the compositions of active ingredients in lightening cosmetics can sometimes be deceptive.