This is the third product from Hindustan Unilever that promises fairness that I am reviewing. The other two are Citral and Fair & Lovely.
I will be applying this test:
Q1) Are harmful chemicals present?
Yes. This fairness cream contains BHT (Butylated hydroxytoluene). I find the best explanation is offered by David Suzuki:, “Limited evidence suggests that high doses of BHT may mimic estrogen, the primary female sex hormone and prevent the expression of male sex hormones, resulting in adverse reproductive effects.“
If you are fine with BHT I respect that. Please continue reading.
Q2) Are skin lightening ingredients present? Q3) What’s the product’s strategy for skin lighteing?
There is only one skin lightener: Niacinamide, which is the 6th ingredient. The sunscreen filters (Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide and Octinoxate) are present in greater quantity than the Niacinamide.
The product achieves skin lightening on two levels. First, by the effect of sunscreen filters and then the Niacinamide.
Sunscreen filters: One of the immediate body responses to over-exposure to UV radiation is that our body produces more melanin. More melanin results in tanning and darkening of skin complexion. The purpose of the sunscreen ingredients is to prevent this cascade of events caused by UVR exposure.
Niacinamide: is great skincare ingredient; its non-irritating and is a formidable skin lightener.
Niacinamide does not interfere directly with the synthesis of melanin. (Melanin is the pigment that is primarily responsible for our skin colour (see also What gives our skin its colour?)) Instead, Niacinamide reduces the amount of melanin being transferred to the epidermis (the topmost layer of our skin).
By default, this means lighter skin. (See also, see Niacinamide as a skin lightener)
Would I buy this product again?
I am not OK with BHT in my products, so I pass on this product.
If you are OK with BHT, then definitely this will give you skin lightening.
Is it better than Citral or Fair & Lovely? I don’t think so, as LESS Niacinamide is likely to be present in this product.
Other points to note:
- After about 4 weeks, you may not see any difference in your complexion, despite continuous use of this product. This is consistent with studies that show the impact of Niacinamide in topical treatments plateaus after 4 weeks. This isn’t unique to Niacinamide but also applies to other skin lighteners (e.g.) retinoids.
- If you do plan use to use this product, please absolutely use a separate sunscreen product with at least an SPF 30 and that protects your skin against both UVA and UVB.
See also Top 5 sunscreen recommendations
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