This product says its designed to “promote fairness & Sun Block.” Today, I won’t hold the appalling grammar against this company. I would only stress to you that there is no chemical or sunscreen that makes you 100% resistant to the dangers of overexposure to UV radiation.
Unfortunately, the Superman cream has yet to be invented.
I will be applying the following test:
1) Harmful chemicals present
This product contains harmful chemical Benzophenone-3 or Oxybenzone. Oxybenzone is an endocrine disruptor and high levels of it have been linked with: girls with LOWER weights at birth and boys with larger heads. It is also a skin allergen. (See also: Chemicals to Avoid Benzophenone-3)
It also has Imidazolidinyl Urea which is a formaldehyde-releasing preservative. It is extremely uncommon to find this ingredient in European or American products. This is the first time, I have seen it in a Made in India product. In case you are wondering what Formaldehyde is, then its the chemical used in embalming. But of course, it is perfectly within the law to use this within this product.
2 & 3) Skin lighteners and strategy for skin lightening
This product has filters that protect against UV – Octinozate (10th) Titanium Dioxide (14th) and Oxybenzone (19th) and Zinc Oxide (20th).
I can appreciate why it has so many UV filters – the aim is to protect the skin against UV radiation, as one of the triggers of melanin is UV radiation. This prevents the skin from tanning and therefore darkening.
It also 2 skin lighteners: Aloe Vera (17th) and Liquorice Extract (Glycyrrhiza glabra) extract (25th).
Both Aloe Vera and Liquorice Extract are skin lighteners. Aloe Vera contains Aloesin, which is a tryrosinase inhibitor. As tyrosinase is the principal enzyme responsible for the formation of melanin, it also reduces the formation of melanin. Therefore, skin does not darken.
My view of this product
Ignoring the presence of Oxybenzone and Imidazolidinyl Urea, the problem with this product is that no ingredient is present in sufficient quantities to be truly effective.
Also, the skin lighteners present are not the best. Aloe vera is a hydrophilic compound, and its moderately high molecular weight makes penetration into skin quite poor.
Similarly, while Liquorice extract is one of the safest skin lightening ingredients, its main disadvantage is that one of its main components responsible for skin lightening, Glabridin, has poor skin entering capacity.
I will not be buying this product.
See also : Aloe vera as a skin lightener, Liquorice extract as a skin lightener