Hydroquinone has been around since the 1960s (if not earlier) and it is a formidable skin LIGHTENER OR SKIN WHITENER.
Hydroquinone at a cellular level
The exact mechanism with which Hydroquinone works is not known and includes:
– Inhibition of the enzyme tyrosinase, which is essential for the production of the skin pigment, melanin. Melanin gives the skin its colour
– Cytoxicity of melanocytes (death of melanin cells)
– Interference with melanosomes (which are the organelles holding the pigment, melanin). The key takeaway is that a cellular level, hydroquinone can cause severe, irreversible damage
And I am not going to highlight the extent of industrial toxicity and deaths caused because that’s no longer relevant.
The key takeaway is that a cellular level, hydroquinone can cause severe, irreversible damage.
Visual effects of hydroquinone
With repeated and prolonged use its been seen that between 2% and 5% hydroquinone can cause
– Irritative Dermatitis
– Contact Dermatitis
– Post inflammatory hyper-pigmentation
– Ochronosis
– Discoloration of nails
When I first started researching skin whiteners, Hydroquinone, gave me the creeps because of the photos of Ochronosis that I found. Don’t know what Ochronosis is? Well, you are not about to forget it.
Following images are a bit distressing.
Is it all hydroquinone’s fault?
Hydroquinone is the drug of choice for many dermatologists treating melasma (which can be an unpleasant form of melasma).
The issue that’s often ignored in using skincare products – and I have seen this myself, is that once the effects of a product plateau, the propensity of the consumer is to either use:
– A stronger product
– Use a greater quantity of an already strong product.
This damages the skin irreversibly and I can understand why, in the EU, hydroquinone has been banned.
How about in the USA?
Before 2020, I think you could have OTC products in the USA which contained hydroquinone.
The CARES Act 2020, changed the regulation of OTC products containing hydroquinone.
From 23 Sept 2020, all OTC products containing hydroquinone had to be remover the from the market.
If a product is to contain hydroquinone, then to be legally sold in the USA, it must be approved by the US FDA via a new drug application process.
What do you need to know about Hydroquinone?
The only FDA approved product containing Hydroquinone is called Tri-Luma, which is prescription based.
It is illegal to sell OTC skin lightening products in the USA that contain hydroquinone. Period.
The FDA does not approve of such products.
Its been in the news because the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA), has issued warning letters to companies for selling over-the-counter (OTC) skin lightening products containing hydroquinone that do not meet the requirements to be legally sold as OTC drugs.
Sources and uses
Ribas, Jonas, Schettini, Antonio Pedro Mendes and Cavalcante, Melissa de Sousa MeloOcronose exógena induzida por hidroquinona: relato de quatro casos. Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia [online]. 2010, v. 85, n. 5 [Accessed 1 May 2022] , pp. 699-703. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0365-05962010000500017. Epub 02 Dec 2010. ISSN 1806-4841. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0365-05962010000500017.
US FDA Import Alert 66-41
FDA announcement FDA works to protect consumers from potentially harmful OTC skin lightening products
Overview of Skin Whitening Agents: Drugs and Cosmetic Products (2016). Available on the internet for free