WHO Launches Global Behavioural Toolkit to Combat Harmful Skin-Lightening Practices and Mercury Exposure

WHO says the new toolkit reflects a growing international recognition that regulatory bans alone are insufficient without also addressing the social and behavioural factors that sustain demand.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a major new behavioural insights toolkit aimed at helping countries tackle the growing global health crisis linked to skin-lightening products containing toxic mercury, as international concern intensifies over the health, social, and environmental consequences of the booming industry.

The new toolkit is designed to help governments, researchers, and public health authorities better understand why millions of people continue to use potentially dangerous skin-lightening products despite growing awareness of the risks.

Developed as part of WHO's multicountry initiative on eliminating mercury-containing cosmetics, the toolkit focuses on collecting behavioural insights into the psychological, social, and cultural factors driving demand for skin-lightening products across different regions and communities.

WHO says understanding these behavioural drivers is essential for designing effective interventions and policies capable of reducing demand for products that pose serious threats to both public health and the environment.

The launch comes as the global market for skin-lightening products continues to expand rapidly.

According to WHO, the industry is projected to reach approximately US$16.4 billion by 2032, fuelled by deeply rooted beauty standards, social pressures, advertising, colourism, and cultural perceptions linking lighter skin tones with attractiveness, social status, or economic opportunity.

Public health experts warn that many of these products contain hazardous substances, particularly mercury, which WHO classifies among the ten chemicals of major public health concern worldwide.

Mercury is commonly used in some skin-lightening products because it suppresses melanin production, leading to lighter skin pigmentation. However, even low levels of mercury exposure can cause severe health complications, including neurological damage, kidney problems, mental health disorders, and developmental risks for unborn children and young infants.

Health officials also warn that mercury contamination extends far beyond individual users.

When mercury-containing creams and cosmetics are washed off, the toxic chemical enters wastewater systems and contaminates rivers, soil, and ecosystems, where it can persist for decades without breaking down.

WHO says the new toolkit reflects a growing international recognition that regulatory bans alone are insufficient without also addressing the social and behavioural factors that sustain demand.

"Understanding the complex influences that lead people to voluntarily bleach their skin should be an essential first step in designing interventions or policies to stop these harmful practices," said Elena Altieri, Global Lead for Behavioural Insights at WHO headquarters.

"Behavioural insights and user journeys show us where, when and how to intervene. This toolkit helps researchers adopt a standardized approach while generating context-specific insights."

One of the toolkit's central innovations is its use of "user journey mapping," a behavioural research approach designed to track how individuals first encounter, adopt, and continue using skin-lightening products.

By mapping these decision-making pathways, health authorities can identify critical intervention points where education campaigns, policy measures, healthcare support, or regulatory actions may be most effective.

WHO says the approach moves public health strategies away from generic awareness campaigns toward more targeted and evidence-driven interventions based on real-world behavioural patterns.

The toolkit draws on evidence from studies conducted across 43 countries and lessons learned from pilot programmes implemented between 2022 and 2026 in Gabon, Jamaica, and Sri Lanka.

Those pilot projects — funded through a Global Environment Facility (GEF) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) initiative — highlighted the importance of adapting interventions to local social norms, strengthening behavioural research capacity, improving population segmentation, and enhancing data analysis systems.

Global efforts to eliminate mercury-containing cosmetics are accelerating under the Minamata Convention on Mercury, an international treaty aimed at reducing mercury pollution and protecting human health and ecosystems.

Among signatory countries, there is increasing agreement that behavioural science must play a larger role in addressing harmful cosmetic practices and reducing demand for unsafe products.

This growing policy shift was reinforced by the Libreville Commitment signed in Gabon in 2025, which specifically called for integrating behavioural approaches into national mercury elimination strategies.

WHO officially launched the toolkit on 25 February 2026 during a regional workshop in Panama City focused on mercury elimination.

The event brought together representatives from ministries of health and environment across Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Mexico, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and other regional stakeholders.

The toolkit includes:

• User journey mapping templates

• Qualitative and quantitative behavioural research tools

• Ethical guidance frameworks

• Practical implementation recommendations for national research programmes

Experts say the initiative marks a significant evolution in global public health strategy by recognising that harmful health practices are often deeply connected to identity, social pressure, historical inequality, and cultural perceptions.

Public health advocates have increasingly argued that addressing skin-lightening practices requires not only product regulation but also broader conversations around colourism, representation, beauty standards, discrimination, and mental wellbeing.

WHO officials say the toolkit is intended to help countries design more culturally sensitive and effective responses while supporting wider international efforts to eliminate mercury exposure and reduce environmental contamination.

As mercury elimination initiatives expand globally, behavioural science is expected to become an increasingly important tool in designing public health interventions capable of changing long-established social behaviours and consumer practices.