Whitening and fairness products have been criticised enough for shaming the skin of colour. However, there are two other terms- ‘Lightening and brightening’ used in the beauty industry which are often confused with ‘fairness’.
Our team at TheNewsSmith went through the ingredient list of several lightening, brightening and whitening products and are here to simplify the meaning based on the ingredients used in the three products.
- Lightening
As the word suggests, lightening refers to diminishing scars and pigmentation to even out the skin tone.This is done through various chemicals which when used in the permissible limits have proven to be healthy for the skin. Such chemicals include Kojic acid, Mandelic acid, Arbutin and even Vitamin B3(niacinamide) and Vitamin C. Products claiming to lighten the skin often consist of chemicals which do not pose damages to the skin.
- Whitening
Whitening is said to be the most controversial word in the beauty industry due to its racist nature. Even as the word is said to be ethically wrong, whitening creams, serums, masks etc. are still being sold in the Indian market. But what do the whitening products actually contain? Whitening products may contain certain healthy chemicals like vitamin C which brighten your skin, however, they might also contain two other substances which pose long term damage to the skin, namely Hydroquinone and Steroids. Even as they lighten your skin tone in order to give a brightening effect, using these substances might damage the texture of your skin and cause skin conditions like inflation and even sun burns. These substances often work as bleaching agents for the skin.
- Brightening
Promising a glowing, sparkling and brightened skin has been the marketing gimmick for several beauty products including soaps, creams, face washes etc. since ages. Even as used widely, the word ‘brightening’ is understood very less in terms of the beauty products. Looking at the ingredient list and claims by the brightening products, we found that such products contain healing agents such as propolis, vitamin C, face oils such as rosehip oil, pomegranate oil along with several other substance such as ceramide which enhance the texture of the skin by building up a protective layer. Do the math and you would find that a healed and nourished skin is a bright skin, which is the effect such products have on the skin.
We hope that this helps you to find the right products as per the effect you desire on the skin. We will be back soon with more simplified skincare for you.
