First of all, is there any permanent skin whitening cream without side effects? The answer is NO. However, there are fairness creams that can brighten up your dull and tanned face, if used regularly. I don’t endorse ‘fair complexion’ like Shah Rukh Khan, but keeping your skin healthy is important.
As you are here, you might be looking for a skin whitening cream for removing dark spots, blemishes, pigmentation, scars, and freckles. Right? I will list down some of the important ingredients or things that you should look for in a fairness cream. Also, I will recommend three best skin whitening creams for women and men, at the end of this post.
5 things to consider in choosing a skin whitening cream
1. Is your face dry or oily?
Knowing you skin type is the first step in choosing any type of cream as brands use different ingredients based on the type of skin. If you have an oily skin, choose a non-comedogenic and oil-free cream to avoid pimples and clogged pores. Having oil-controlling agents and ingredients like alpha hydroxy acids is a must.
For women or men with dry skin, look for cream which contains more moisturising ingredients and oil.
2. Avoid creams with harmful chemicals
Most fairness creams use hard bleaching agents to slow down melanin production. Avoid creams which contain harsh chemicals like mercury, alcohol, lead, steroids, and hydroquinone. They will make your skin thinner and get damaged.
3. Look for creams with AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids)
Aalpha hydroxy acids are found in berries, papaya, tomato, almond milk, sugarcane, green apple, and citrus fruits like lemon and grapefruit. So, creams with these acids can exfoliate and clean the skin. Regular use of this cream can remove the dead skin cells, re-balance your skin, and thus brighten up your skin.
4. Vitamin C is important
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and it is widely used in skin care products. As scientifically proven, it can naturally reduce pigmentation, dark spots, blemishes, acne, skin aging, sun damage, and even more.
Ultimately, Vitamin C will lighten/whiten up your skin by removing the darkened skin layer caused by pollutants and sun rays. So, for a radiant, bright skin, choose a cream/serum between 8-20 Vitamin C concentration.
5. It should contain retinoids
Retinoids, also known as Vitamin A derivatives are proven to stimulate collagen production. It can unclog pores, brighten up your skin tone, and make it more firmer by removing hyperpigmentation and dead skin cells. So, look for a cream with retinol along with Vitamin C. It’s perfect for people with oily and normal skin types. In case you have a sensitive or dry skin, pick either with less retinol concentration or a cream with higher moisturising agents.
Skin whitening cream side effects
Choosing a wrong skin whitening cream with harsh chemicals like mercury, steroids, hydroquinone will cause a few side effects, such as –
- Dry discoloured skin
- Bleaching of your skin
- Skin allergy and acne
- Thin skin – becomes very sensitive to sunlight
- Itching, redness, and rash
- Swelling & burning
Always read the label and find out if the brand uses these hazardous chemicals in their creams.
The best skin whitening cream in India
After analysing and researching the ingredients and formulations used in variety of fairness creams, I have selected three best skin whitening creams without side effects. User reviews are important too while picking up the products, so I have counted them as well.
1. Lotus Herbals White Glow
Made from fruit extracts rich in alpha hydroxy acids like mulberry & grapes, this herbal cream from Lotus is one of the best selling skin whitening creams in India. It contains saxifraga formulation too, which has astringent qualities for toning & fading dark spots. With 25 SPF, this cream is ideal for all skin types (both men & women).
2. Blue Nectar Sandalwood Cream
Sandalwood has skin lightening agents and is rich in antioxidants. It is commonly used in many cosmetics for its anti-aging & anti-tanning properties. This shubhr sandalwood cream has other ayurvedic ingredients like turmeric & mulethi that can remove uneven dark spots and pigmentations from skin.
3. Raaga Professional De-Tan Cream
Melanin causes skin pigmentation, so this Raga Professional cream has ingredients to prevent it. Basically, it’s a de-tan cream for removing the tan & toxins from your skin. It’s widely used by salon professionals for its speedy effectiveness in lightening the skin tone & restoring the youthful looks.
Final words: there is no permanent skin whitening cream
Fact – fairness creams may work to some extent, but you can’t change a person’s natural skin colour with a cream. And there is nothing such as permanent skin whitening cream. There might be a surgery or laser treatment to do so, but it’s highly not recommended without consulting your dermatologist.
On a positive side, regularly using a cream that contains harmless skin-brightening formulations or ingredients mentioned above can surely improve your complexion by removing pigmentation, blemishes, dark spots, dead cells, patches, and tan. Also, a good fairness cream can block sun rays and pollutants, thus making your skin lighter, toned, and fairer.