Behavioural insights toolkit helps countries address harmful skin‑lightening practices

A new WHO behavioural insights toolkit is supporting countries to better understand and address the drivers of harmful skin-lightening practices, strengthening efforts to eliminate mercury-containing cosmetics and protect public health.

Developed as part of a WHO multicountry project on the elimination of mercury-containing skin-lightening products, the toolkit helps countries collect behavioural insights on why people use these products. The insights generated are critical for designing effective, context-specific interventions and policies to reduce demand for products that pose serious health and environmental risks.

Understanding demand is key to effective action

Skin-lightening practices remain widespread in many regions of the world. The global market for skin-lightening products is projected to reach US$ 16.4 billion by 2032, reflecting strong consumer demand driven by a complex mix of psychological, social and cultural factors, including social norms, beauty ideals and advertising.

Many skin-lightening products work by reducing melanin levels but often contain hazardous substances such as mercury, which WHO classifies as one of the ten chemicals of major public health concern. Even low-level exposure to mercury can cause serious health effects, including neurological damage, and poses particular risks to fetal and early childhood development. Mercury also contaminates the environment: when products are washed off, mercury enters wastewater systems and persists in soil, water and ecosystems without breaking down.

Behavioural insights align with global mercury elimination efforts

Global action to eliminate mercury-containing cosmetics under the Minamata Convention on Mercury is accelerating. Among Parties to the Convention, there is growing recognition that understanding behavioural drivers of demand is essential for effective regulation and prevention. This shift is reflected in initiatives such as the Libreville Commitment, signed in Gabon in 2025, which calls for integrating behavioural approaches into strategies to eliminate mercury-containing skin-lightening products.

Between 2022 and 2026, pilot projects in Gabon, Jamaica and Sri Lanka - implemented with funding from GEF-UNEP - generated valuable lessons on in-country implementation. These pilots highlighted the need for targeted capacity-building, tools testing and adaptation, population segmentation, efficient resource management and strengthened data analysis.

From insights to action: mapping user journeys

One of the toolkit's components is a user journey mapping template that helps countries visualize how individuals encounter, adopt and continue using skin-lightening products. Drawing on available insights, stakeholders can develop context-specific user journeys that reveal critical moments for intervention.

These journeys help shift responses away from generic solutions toward targeted, strategic actions, enabling countries to prioritize resources and design interventions that address real-world behavioural patterns.

Figure 1: User journey developed using evidence from a global systematic review, "Why are people cosmetic skin whitening? A systematic review" (Williams et al., 2026).

"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."

Toolkit launched in Panama

The toolkit was officially launched on 25 February 2026 in Panama City during a regional workshop on mercury elimination. The event brought together representatives from ministries of health and environment from Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Mexico, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago, among other stakeholders.

The toolkit includes user journey mapping tools, qualitative and quantitative data collection instruments, ethical guidance and practical recommendations for conducting behavioural research. It draws on evidence from studies in 43 countries and direct experience from in-country implementation.