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Description

The Beauty Across Time and Culture

For thousands of years, humans have used various substances to enhance their physical appearance. In Ancient Egypt, women applied kohl made from powdered galena (lead sulfide) to darken their eyelids. In Greece and Rome, cosmetics were used for status and identity. Across Asia, traditional powders and herbal mixtures shaped beauty rituals. Cosmetics have always carried cultural, social, and symbolic meaning. Beauty has never been only about physical appearance. It reflected identity, confidence, belonging, and even social mobility.

In the modern world, cosmetics are a very essential part of life. The global beauty and personal care industry is valued at over $644 billion in 2025 and continues to grow steadily. In Europe alone, the market exceeds €100 billion annually, making it one of the largest consumer sectors (Figure 1). In the United States, there are over 12,500 unique chemical ingredients authorized for use in personal care, and a typical product contains between 15 and 50 compounds. On average, women use 9-15 cosmetic products every day, meaning they may apply over 500 different chemicals to their skin daily (AAS). This vast consumption explains why cosmetics are not only an economic powerhouse but also a matter of public health and safety.

Figure 1: Global cosmetics market

Figure 1

The Counterfeit Crisis

Unfortunately, the size and cultural importance of this industry make it a prime target for counterfeiters. Counterfeit cosmetics mimic trusted brands but are produced cheaply, without quality control, and often with dangerous ingredients. The OECD estimates the global trade in counterfeit and pirated goods at USD 467 billion, and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) reports that counterfeit cosmetics alone cost European businesses EUR 3 billion annually, around 4.8% of all sales in the sector (OECD 2025).

However, the true damage goes beyond economics. Counterfeit cosmetics directly endanger each consumer's health, and collectively the public health. Most of these fake products contain lead, arsenic, mercury, bacteria, and industrial solvents (BBC 2018). These can cause burns, permanent scarring, blindness, systemic poisoning, and even life-long disabilities.

One of the most common and dangerous ingredients found in counterfeit skin-lightening products is hydroquinone. While some people use skin-lightening or skin-bleaching procedures due to medical reasons, others rely on hydroquinone because of the aesthetic criterion of a lighter skin. Most people do not know that while hydroquinone has limited medical use under prescription, it is banned in the US, EU, and UK for cosmetics because of its carcinogenic and mutagenic potential (CosIng by EC). Chronic use can cause exogenous ochronosis, an irreversible bluish-black discoloration of the skin, as well as allergies and systemic toxicity. In the UK, authorities have repeatedly seized unlicensed creams containing hydroquinone (BBC 2016; BBC Health 2019).

Exploiting Insecurities & Social Media

The urgency of this issue has grown dramatically in the age of social media. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook amplify beauty standards and trends at unprecedented speed. As The Guardian reports, "people selling these prescription products illegally are preying on people's insecurities and naivety. Social media adds fuel to the fire" (The Guardian, 2023).

Most consumers cannot afford high-end self-care products from luxury brands. Yet, they are constantly exposed to polished images and promises of flawless, wrinkle-free, fairer skin. Fraudulent manufacturers and sellers exploit this aspiration by offering cheap creams. These products are marketed with exaggerated promises: rapid whitening, removal of pigmentation, anti-aging effects, but they often contain toxic levels of hydroquinone or other banned substances.

In many cases, sellers themselves have no knowledge of the product's origin or composition. They simply import batches through unregulated channels, stock them in online marketplaces, and profit from consumer demand. For the consumer, the only focus is on immediate visible results. Long-term health consequences are ignored — until it is too late.

Local Context: Kazakhstan and Central Asia

In our country Kazakhstan and Central Asia, the risks are even higher. Unlike the FDA in the US or the European Commission agencies, there are no strong regulatory bodies overseeing cosmetic safety. Therefore, counterfeit cosmetics are sold freely both in open markets or bazaars and on famous platforms like Kaspi.kz, Wildberries, and Ozon.

Consumers with little knowledge of product safety can easily purchase hydroquinone creams for daily use. Any person can buy skin whitening creams and serums as cheap as $4, and no one controls. Sellers do not know the ingredients, and responsible bodies/authorities rarely conduct inspections here. This kind of regulatory space leaves millions vulnerable to counterfeit cosmetics and their irreversible health effects.

Our Solution: A HEK293T Cell-Based Bioreporter

To combat this global and local challenge, iGEM NIS_Kazakhstan 2025 has developed a proof of concept for a HEK293T cell-based bioreporter that can detect hydroquinone in common cosmetic products such as skin whitening/bleaching creams and serums.

Our engineered HEK293T cells carry a reporter construct that activates when exposed to oxidative stress caused by hydroquinone. If there is hydroquinone, the cells fluoresce (GFP expression), giving us a clear unsafe signal.

Our long-term goal is to create an easy-to-use, portable, and affordable biosensor accessible not only to laboratories and regulators but also to everyday consumers. This year, we present the proof of concept, and with further development and funding, we aim to transform it into a deployable tool to safeguard health, reduce counterfeit trade, and promote safer beauty practices in Kazakhstan, Central Asia, and beyond.

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