Lagos Decries Unsafe Beauty Practices

Lagos State government, through its safety commission, has expressed concern over the rising number of health and safety complaints from customers of beauty and spa parlours across the state, saying there is a need for stricter regulation and ethical compliance in the industry.

At a seminar organised by the commission on Monday, themed “Ethical Practices in the Beauty and Spa Industry”, the director -general of Lagos Safety Commission, Mr. Lanre Mojola, represented by the Technical Adviser to the Safety Commission, Mr. Seun Awojobi, said the state was responding to a worrying trend of incidents involving the misuse of chemicals, health complications, and reports of sexual harassment in some beauty establishments.

According to Awojobi, the seminar was convened to engage stakeholders in the beauty and spa sector on the need to uphold safety standards, ethical practices, and regulatory compliance in line with existing policies and environmental guidelines.

“For us at the Safety Commission, our core mandate is the protection of lives and properties.
We achieve this through training, advocacy, engagement and enforcement,” Awojobi stated. “We have observed a significant increase in the number of beauty and spa parlours across Lagos. With that growth comes the need for more stringent regulatory oversight, especially around the control and application of hazardous substances.”

He noted that some customers have suffered adverse reactions and complications after undergoing procedures at unregulated beauty centres, with some cases involving the use of toxic chemicals and unethical service delivery.

“We have had instances where people go into these parlours and return with serious health complaints. Some have reported complications from the chemicals used, while others have brought up issues around sexual harassment. That is unacceptable,” he said.

While affirming that individuals have the freedom to make personal choices regarding their appearance and self-care, Awojobi stressed that service providers must adhere strictly to safety protocols, especially when dealing with substances that could endanger human health.

“Our job is to ensure that any substance being used is properly regulated and not hazardous to human health. There are laid-down policies guiding the industry, and any chemical used must comply with these standards,” he added.

He said the Commission works closely with the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) to monitor the availability and usage of potentially dangerous substances within the sector.