Thread by @SizweLo

In 1994, the Krok family was the 5th richest in South Africa. Headed by identical twins Solly and Abe, they had made their vast fortune from selling cancer-causing skin-lightening creams to Black consumers since the 1950s. This is not spoken about enough.

[𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝]

The Krok brothers bought a pharmacy in the Johannesburg CBD in the 50s, and from here they distributed 'SuperRose', a skin-bleaching cream aimed at Black women, which they advertised with slogans like "Men run after women who use SuperRose creams and soap".

The Kroks had purchased a pharmacy between the train station and the busy Noord Street taxi rank, putting them right at the centre of the lucrative commerce generated by black foot traffic. Their first-ever product was Bloodlax, which they marketed as a 'blood purifier'

Now, because of Apartheid laws and culture—specifically colourism—many Black people felt pressured to lighten their skin due to the 'benefits' that came with a fairer tone. A lighter skin often gave one confidence that employment prospects would improve, for instance.

Eldridge Mathebula, a leader of the Black Consumers' Union said: "Psychologically [some Black people] believe they will have more opportunities and be more successful in whatever they do if their skin is whiter."

Solly had this to say about what drew them to the industry: "If a Black had a light skin, they were perceived to be in a different status than a Black dark person. I believe it was a status symbol that I'm lighter, I’m more educated, I'm more affluent or I'm more Westernised".

By the late 60s, it was estimated that 60% of black women in urban areas used skin-lightening products. Bleaching creams became the 4th most used household product, after soap, tea, and powdered milk. The Kroks were emerging as the major players in this market.

The Krok brothers had their big break after they started manufacturing their own products, specifically when they experimented with hydroquinone instead of the mercury used by other brands. Hydroquinone is a photography developing agent that interferes with melanin production.

When the South African government banned the use of mercury in cosmetics in 1975, the Krok's competitors went out of business. Armed with hydroquinone in brands like Hollywood 7, He-Man, Kool Look and Aviva, the Kroks were now their own competition, and soon became millionaires.

According to historian Lynn M. Thomas, "Over time, the Kroks pushed the trade in more dangerous directions by encouraging consumers to use multiple lightening products and producing ones that contained some of the highest levels of hydroquinone".

By the mid-70s, doctors were warning of the disfiguring effects of hydroquinone. They showed how hydroquinone, combined with the high levels of UV rays in southern Africa was causing a form of bluish-black hyper-pigmentation known as exogenous ochronosis.

A study of 13 skin bleaching brands—7 of which belonged to the Kroks—found that they contained between 2.5 & 7.5% hydroquinone. Two of the Krok's brands contained between 5.5 & 7.5%. The legal maximum was 2%. But even when they did obey the law, the Kroks still caused damage...

Even though the amount of hq in their original lotion was within the law, the Kroks recommended that it be used before applying one of their competitor's creams. By doing this, they encouraged consumers to double their exposure to the toxic agent. Explaining this, Solly said:

"So I said to my brother we don’t have to fight these guys. We said we don’t care if you use any famous cream as long as before you use that cream you cleanse with our lotion. And it became the hottest seller in the world."

With their dominance in the skin bleaching industry firmly established, the Kroks diversified into food, furniture, construction, engineering, and entertainment.
They also bought subsidiaries of foreign companies leaving South Africa because of Apartheid sanctions

When skin-bleaching products were eventually banned in 1990, the Kroks had made enough money to shrug this setback off. They were at the time reportedly making between R70 and R80 million a year from this one business, and by 1994, they were filthy rich.

From 1994, the Krok family was involved in even bigger things after 1994: capturing the courts, the ANC, and its Black elites and stealing intellectual property; but we'll talk about those another time. For now, please subscribe to my blog patreon.com/sizwelo

Source: Skin Lighteners, Black Consumers and
Jewish Entrepreneurs in South Africa by Lynn M. Thomas