If you’re an avid user of skincare products, you’ll notice that different products promote different benefits such as whitening, moisturizing, acne control and brightening. If you can’t tell the difference between whitening and brightening products, don’t worry neither did we. Its no secret that Asian women are obsessed with making themselves fairer and an arsenal of umbrellas and SPF 50 sunblocks are sometimes just not enough.
Most people have the misconception that brightening and whitening are the same thing and marketers often use this confusion to their benefit. Skin brighteners do not lighten your skin but enhance it to look radiant and glowing. Brightening products often contain Vitamin C obtained from citrus products such as lemons or oranges.
Vitamin C is an antioxidant that not only improves your skin complexion but also its clarity and radiance while increasing your stamina at the same time! While some skin lotions and moisturizers have lemon extracts, Vitamin C is actually best consumed in the form of pills or the fresh fruit itself. Some celebs even have it injected into the body but do note that excessive consumption of Vitamin C can cause kidney stones leading to kidney failure.
Lightening is gradual and enhances the results of your skincare regimen. Skin brightening products come in various forms such as toners, moisturizers, sheet masks and also exfoliators. Exfoliators and scrubs remove the dead cells on your skin to reveal newer skin underneath. However, brightening results are not permanent and very minimal.
Now on to skin whitening or lightening. In Asia, the term whitening is used but not in Europe or the US to avoid people from associating it to race. Products that promise the whiten your complexion actually change the chemistry of your skin cells in order to lighten the shade. What it does is to reduce the quantity of melanin (which provides color to your skin) in your skin cells. The more active your melanin, the darker your skin color. These products also contain bleaching agents to de-pigment your skin with results that last up to 5 years.
While that may sound a bit scary, rest assured that whitening products in the market are quite safe, tested and tried. Of course being the smart consumer that you are, always read the label to make sure its contents are safe. Like it or not cheap products contain mercury, hydroquinone and preservatives such as parabens that will cause damage in the long run so do invest in good and safe products. Results are usually permanent with frequent and long term usage.
