Malawi’s beauty boom sparks fresh safety warnings over dodgy WhatsApp sellers

Malawi’s booming skincare industry is facing mounting calls for tighter safety standards, as beauty brands and pharmacists warn that consumers, particularly those with sensitive skin, could be putting themselves at risk without proper quality checks and professional guidance.

As the market for lotions, creams and organic treatments continues to explode across the country, industry insiders are sounding the alarm over the need for rigorous formulation standards, thorough safety testing, and expert medical advice before products ever reach consumers’ bathroom shelves.

Innocent Chima of Bloom Organic Products stressed that precision, not guesswork, must be the foundation of every product hitting the market.

“Organic products rely on exact maths rather than guesswork during formulation. To keep things safe and consistent, we need to calculate every oil with a strict safety buffer,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Pauline Chilemba of Leen Luxe Skin revealed the extensive behind-the-scenes checks retailers must carry out when they don’t manufacture products themselves, insisting trust in suppliers simply isn’t enough on its own.

“Because we do not manufacture the products ourselves, we rely on trusted suppliers and perform thorough checks on products, packaging ingredients and labelling expiry dates before selling,” Chilemba said.

She added that customer feedback plays a crucial role too, with her business actively educating shoppers on correct product use and urging them to speak up immediately if anything goes wrong.

But it was PharmaPrime Pharmacy’s William Mpute who issued perhaps the most pointed warning, urging consumers to think twice before falling for heavily hyped skincare products flooding social media feeds.

“Before using products aggressively pushed by individual sellers on WhatsApp or other social media, consumers ought to consult a skin specialist or qualified health practitioner,” Mpute warned.

He went further, cautioning shoppers against buying skincare products from unauthorised vendors or unverified sources altogether, highlighting the serious risks posed by counterfeit goods and dangerous, mismatched ingredients that could wreak havoc on unsuspecting skin.

With Malawi’s beauty market showing no signs of slowing down, experts are united in their message: convenience should never come at the expense of safety when it comes to what consumers put on their skin.