Myths and Facts about Face Brightness Creams

Why is Face brightness cream in demand?

For the longest, women have been told to look flawless. Having a fair complexion used to be the norm. Fairness creams were the town's talk but did more harm than good. Now that we’ve fared farther into the world of beauty, all complexions are starting to be welcomed and loved the same. In such a time, products to alter one’s skin tone and complexion still exist, but it is important to know the key differences. In this blog post, you’ll understand the meanings of skin lightening, face brightening, and everything in between along with what face brightness cream is safe and what isn’t.

The Key Differences between Face Brightening and Face Lightening

Though the words are often used interchangeably, “brightening” and “lightening” have very different meanings in the world of beauty. The following are some of the many differences between a face brightness cream and a skin lightness cream:

The effect post-usage - Upon using a face brightness cream or any face brightening product, you can expect clearer-looking skin that has restored vibrancy and has a healthy bounce to it. As opposed to that, a skin-lightening product (like that very famous fairness cream that we’ve all loved and hated) attempts to make your complexion fairer. Now, it is important to note that these effects are only what is promised. Whether or not they can be achieved to completion is another story altogether.

The formulation of products - This is one of the biggest differentiating factors in face brightness cream or face lightening cream. A respectable and carefully formulated chemical face brightness cream is likely to have ingredients like lactic acid, vitamin C, alpha arbutin, glycolic acid, etc. More natural types of face brightness creams are usually formulated with ingredients like orange peels, fuller’s earth (Multani mitti), turmeric, aloe vera, etc. On the contrary, typical skin lightening creams or even some unimpressive face brightness creams contain ingredients like high amounts of kojic acid, and hydroquinone (known to reduce the production and regulation of melanin in the human skin; should not be used in a concentration higher than 2%), and the dreaded bleach.

The intent behind the products - Here’s where things get slightly tricky. The internet’s take on fairness, brightness, and lightness is most certainly, very heavily divided. This divide applies to the intent with which certain products are formulated. Skin lightening products in all likelihood are still to this day created with an intent to lighten one’s complexion, not-so-subtly reinforcing the idea that darker skin tones don’t fit into beauty standards, and that is the kind of ideology we simply can’t promote even if it is unintentional.

Brightening or Bleaching?

Especially in the Indian context, the terms brightening, lightening, fairness, etc. are all used in the same context. Though as stated above, they mean different things and have varying purposes, it is important to note that most chemically formulated “brightening” creams on the market have bleaching properties in them which should ring alarm sirens in your head real fast! The cheaper, gimmicky kind of face brightness creams on the market often contain chemical bleaches that can strip off the healthy epidermis and damage your skin with prolonged use.

Natural Ingredients are Safer

We hope by now, you know that there is no need to change your complexion or alter the way your skin looks by any means. We wholeheartedly believe that all humans are beautiful exactly the way they are. With all of that being said, it is not at all wrong to want to improve your skin. If you want brighter-appearing skin or just an overall even complexion, keeping it natural with your ingredients is the safest way to do so. Using natural, unprocessed, organically sourced ingredients to give your face a brighter appearance can prevent you from any avoidable allergic reactions. It can achieve its goal without any side effects, albeit a bit slowly.

 Whether you use natural ingredients like turmeric, saffron, kumkumadi tailam in home remedies or DIY creams, be sure to look for the best quality of sensitive-skin-safe ingredients. Additionally, if you’re someone who doesn’t have the time to DIY, you can look out for ayurvedic face brightness cream, ayurvedic serum, or any other desirable ayurvedic products from brands who make natural chemical free products to reduce your work. 

Effects of a Face Brightness Cream on Your Skin

So, as stated above, a face brightness cream with natural ingredients is infinitely better than a commercial one. But, if you’re still a skeptic on that front, reading about the following effects can help you make a better decision. A brightening product may or may not brighten your face but it’ll definitely serve you with the following effects (these do not apply to ayurvedic creams or remedies with naturally sourced ingredients):

Harsh Stripping of the Epidermis - Poorly formulated face brightness cream function mostly by removing the topmost layer of the skin containing dead skin cells. This action successfully removes dullness from the face and gives a beautiful appearance to the skin. However, over-exfoliation of the topmost layer can overexposed skin that isn’t mature yet and causes redness, discomfort and irritation, leaving your skin more prone and susceptible to reactions, inflammation, and infections. This is often facilitated by the high (and unregulated) amounts of glycolic acid present in the cream.

Mess with Your Makeup - Though not all creams are formulated the same, likely, the formulation of face brightness cream is not similar to a typical moisturizer or serum in your skincare routine, meaning it plausibly won’t absorb into your skin as quickly and with as much ease. And poorly absorbed skin care beneath complexion makeup products can often cause the makeup to separate, pill, bunch up, get cakey, not set properly, or not stay as long as it usually would.

Cause an Allergic Reaction - It is no secret that face lightening and face brightness creams fall in the under-regulated categories in the beauty world, meaning the concentration and amounts of certain ingredients present in their respective formulae can at times be volatile for your skin. So, you may have resistance to a specific concentration of an ingredient, but if your product has this ingredient in an amount higher than your tolerance, you’re likely to end up having an allergic reaction to it.

Worsen the Texture after You Stop Usage - Time and again, former users of fairness creams or low-quality face brightness creams have reported that their initial concerns worsened a lot more after they stopped using these products, even if only for a brief period. The ingredients in poorly formulated creams train your skin to become dependent on them over continued usage, which becomes bothersome once you stop usage. Your skin, as a result, acts out and reacts to foreign environments, leaving the surface irritated.

Cause Chemical Burns - The high amounts of exfoliators and acids present in a lot of commercial face brightness creams are often too much to take for our skin. People with especially sensitive skin can seldom adjust to these creams. Even so, continued usage can often cause chemical burns on the uppermost layers of the skin.

Bottom Line

Time and again, it has been proven that a face brightness cream is one product that is always in demand. Whether the reason behind it may be insecurity, society’s melanin-lacking beauty standards or simply the quest to try something new. Though wanting to improve your beauty is no big deal, it is important to know embracing your complexion just the way it is, is the best way to truly beautify yourself. Regardless, make sure to do your research when hoping to use any face brightness cream and remember to stop usage if it fails to show desired results within the promised time.

Recommended Products by Blue Nectar: 

Shubhr Vitamin C Face Serum with Hyaluronic Acid for Dark Spot Correction and Glowing Skin

Shubhr Dark Spot Corrector Cream with Natural Vitamin C for Glowing Skin (Women)