Nigerian vendor in UK jailed for selling toxic skin bleaching products

Musiliu Badejo, a Nigerian vendor living in the United Kingdom, has been convicted of selling harmful skin-lightening products via eBay, the e-commerce platform.

A four-year investigation by Southwark council’s Trading Standards team showed that most of Badejo’s products had toxic ingredients in them.

Trading Standards in the UK are local authority departments responsible for enforcing consumer protection legislation.

They investigate commercial organisations that trade outside the law or engage in unethical practices, aiming to remedy breaches through advice or legal actions.

In October 2022, Trading Standards raided Badejo’s flat and found 1,700 cosmetic products.

The 56-year-old was out of the country at the time.

According to the regulatory agency, sampling and analysis confirmed many of the seized products contained banned hydroquinone and corticosteroids, which were not included in the ingredients labelling.

Two of his eBay accounts were suspended by the e-commerce platform after he flouted a warning from Trading Standards asking him to stop selling any more illegal cosmetics.

On April 29, a London court heard that between March 2020 and January 2023, Badejo had used multiple eBay accounts to sell over 20,000 cosmetic products to UK customers.

Badejo was said to have sold over 20,000 bottles. The combined sales value was some £340,000.

The entrepreneur said he imported most of the products from Ghana, Nigeria, and Thailand.

An analysis showed that five out of the vendor’s seven products contained either hydroquinone or corticosteroids.

One product called “Pure White dark spot corrector serum” contained both but did not list them as ingredients.

Trading Standards said the serum contained 10 percent hydroquinone — five times the permitted limit.

Badejo, whose goods were valued at over a quarter of a million pounds, received a six-week prison sentence, suspended for 15 months and was ordered to pay £4,750 in fines.