If you don’t know what fabindia is, then I am sorry I can’t help you.
I am kidding (not really). The marketing blurb from their website is, “Fabindia is India’s largest private platform for products that are made from traditional techniques, skills and hand-based processes.”
Over the years, Fabindia has been expanding into skincare, which I guess is bizarre, because I don’t ordinarily buy skincare from the same store I buy pickles, and furniture. Go figure.
What am I testing today?
I am testing a cheap as chips Face pack that is a clay (multani mitthi or Fuller’s earth) based lightening and brightening product. The formulation has been revised to remove parabens.
This is the Ingredient list for the product from Fabindia’s website
The formulation that I have, has this ingredient list
In fairness (pun not intended), the new formulation is a moderate improvement as:
- it removes parabens as a preservative and instead uses Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol and Imidazolidinyl Urea as preservatives. (I don’t see Imidazolidinyl Urea often in products, mainly because its a formaldehyde-releasing preservative. Formaldehyde is a chemical used in embalming).
- uses sunflower oil (which I have found to be a very commonly used face oil. The benefits of sunflower oil are: it enhances skin barrier recovery and improves hydration of adult skin. See this blog for more information)
- uses aloe vera (which is a skin lightener and reduces irritation)
- uses glycerin (a humectant, that prevents the product from drying out, but also, topically applied glycerin restores stratum corneum (top layer of the skin) hydration
Is there actual skin lightening?
Many of you actually want to see before and after photos. Here they are on my hand and I am pleased to report there is ZERO skin lightening. In fact, 20 minutes after I have used the mask, my hand is itching. Also, it should be noted that this product stinks to high heaven. There is “sandalwood” something, but if there was even a minute amount of sandalwood, I am sure my skin would be lighter.
Before
Actual product
After
What do I think of this product and would I use it again?
I am trying to think of reasons why anyone would buy this product. What could redeem this product?
I am usually quite creative so my lack of anything nice to say about this product, is because I find it hideous. Much like my ex-, it infests and maligns everything it touches with a putrid smell and lingering malignancy.
The other major problem I have with this product is the ingredient list. Perhaps you believe that I have a problem with the preservative use, which is a derivative of an embalming chemical. And you would be wrong. My main problem is that it has Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate (DLS). DLS is a surfactant ingredient that is commonly found in facial cleansers. It is a mild surfactant but facial cleansers are rinse off products. Unlike a mask, which you leave
on your face “until dry.”
I cannot see how your skin does not get irritated or sensitised with regular use of this product. See this blog for more information
How do I know if I’ve damaged my skin barrier?
1) After-wash tightness
Cleansing will cause hyper-hyrdation immediately after washing followed by rapid evaporation of water to lower equilibrium levels of water in the skin, leading to after wash tightness. The skin proteins have a reduced ability to bind and hold water and so the skin is drier after washing. Also, there is a reduction in the Natural Moisturing Factors and the skin’s viscoelasticity, manifesting as AWT.
2) Skin dryness, scaling and roughness
In addition, lipids are damaged causing cholesterol and fatty acids to be removed from SC – even after one wash. This causes dry skin and the SC is more vulnerable to chapping/cracking and therefore barrier breakdown. With barrier breakdown comes TEWL (transepidermal water loss)..
3) Skin irritation, redness and itching.
These are all inflammatory responses to surfactants, and the thing is the surfactant does not even need to go deep into the skin.
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Available for sale at Fab India online for INR 360 for 100ml
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