Begam wants to believe: Does “Pond’s Flawless White Visible Lightening Daily Lotion” really make skin fairer and is it safe to use?
The Right Brain preaches about Ponds:
Thanks for the question. We’ve never been asked about Ponds, but we have blogged before about products like Definity and Meladerm that use skin lightening technologies.
Pond’s Lightening Lotion
Ponds is made by Unilever, a major global marketer of personal care products and we have no doubt that they have tested the product to ensure its safety. But does it really work? Let’s examine the ingredients:
Ingredients:
Water, Isopropyl Myristate, Niacinamide 3%, Stearic acid, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Stearate, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate 1.25% Glycerin, Triethanolamine, Titanium Dioxide 0.2%,
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 0.4%, Phenoxyethanol, Propylparaben, Sodium PCA, Tocopheryl Acetate 0.1%, Sodium Hydroxide , Disodium EDTA, BHT, Cl 14700.
Skin lightening technology
There are two ingredients we want you to pay attention to: Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate and Niacinamide. The former is a sunscreen. Since skin spots can be triggered by sun exposure, a sun protection cream will help keep your skin fairer. The second ingredient, Niacinamide, has been shown to reduce cutaneous pigmentation (in lab tests) and improve skin lightness (in clinical test) compared with a control vehicle alone after 4 weeks of use.
The Beauty Brains bottom line:
Based on the research we’ve found there does appear to be evidence that products like Ponds that are based on Niacinamide are effective lighteners. But remember, that the degree of benefit varies greatly depending on what’s causing the dark slots. For example, sun induced melanogenisis is treatable but dark spots caused by acne scars are not.
References:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
http://66.102.7.104/
http://ezinearticles.com/
http://answers.google.com/
Loading ...
Ale Says:
Interesting. Furthermore, Titanium Dioxide is also a sunscreen, and it tends to give products a white cast. I’ve noticed whenever I use makeup with titanium dioxide in it I have to wear a shade darker than what I woul expect, as it always shows lighter.
fluff Says:
Does anyone know where to buy this product in the US?
dr. melba Says:
Vitamin E also works as an acne scar healer…
I SWEAR by it! Also Arnica cream works wonders for discolorations cause by redness or bruising.
Dreniva Says:
This product is available here in the Philippines and in the other parts of Southeast Asia such as Thailand.
Janis Says:
I can see things like this being useful for smoothing out skin color, but … well, is anyone else a little uncomfortable with “skin lighteners” or is it just me? The idea just sort of rubs me the wrong way.
Casey Says:
The explanation is interesting because it shows you that even though a products claims may be technically true…it may not be in the way you would assume.