Skin brightening vs. skin lightening ingredients

Skin whitening by any other name….

Let’s start from the beginning. There is no scientific definition for “skin brightening” or “skin lightening”; these are terms used by the cosmetic industry and, within the industry, their advertising department. Why? Because the “honest” term, bleaching products were limited (until 2020) by the FDA to over-the-counter (OTC) medicinal products using hydroquinone; since 2020, hydroquinone can only be obtained with a prescription. Why this limitation? Because hydroquinone, especially long term, can lead to skin troubles, like the development of ochronosis, a special type of hyperpigmentation, dermatitis, milia, and more.

Please note:  I don’t think lighter skin is more beautiful than darker skin. We are talking about a different objective. There are too many skin problems that are related to pigmentation. Some of them require medical care. Others are just” normal,” but “normal” doesn’t mean that they are welcome by the sufferer. For example, I would rush to the doctor if I suspected I had the autoimmune condition called vitiligo (expanding patches of skin that lose pigmentation). Conversely, a dermatologist will not take the small hyperpigmentation patch on my face too seriously: a sunburn or a kitchen mishap may cause permanent hyperpigmentation; this problem will not spread, and it’s unlikely to cause much trouble besides the ugly dark spot. Try to get an appointment at a teaching hospital for a sunspot! They deal with skin cancer and other difficult skin illnesses. But they will look at your sunspot if it has the characteristics suggestive of skin cancer.

In short: the FDA wants you to go to a dermatologist if you want to buy a product that will help with melasma, sun spots, or discoloration. These are very common skin problems, and sunspots are normal in older people.

Whatever the FDA prefers, that particular sunspot near my eye is very annoying. I don’t know if anybody else sees it; I do. Hence, skin “brightening” products. Call it lightening, brightening, whatever, what we need is a product that will decrease pigmentation so that the unevenness of skin tone will be less visible. In the meantime, you can use some eye concealer. Hyperpigmentation often follows acne, burns and more.

If skin bleaching with hydroquinone is not allowed in cosmetics by the FDA, what are the alternatives for the cosmetic/skincare industry?  There are two aspects to the solution: change the product’s name and change the ingredients.

How the cosmetic/skincare industry copes with FDA limitations

The FDA seems to consider bleaching and whitening synonymous, so the industry prefers lightening and brightening. Lightening implies that the product lightens the skin, so it’s trickier. Brightening is a “safer” word.

What about ingredients? In short: because of the FDA regulations, if you wish to sell your product as a cosmetic, you can’t use hydroquinone.  Call it skin “brightening,” but also forget hydroquinone.

What are the alternatives? If you look at the mechanism of action of hydroquinone, a key component is the competitive inhibition of tyrosinase, an enzyme that catalyzes a key step in the synthesis of melanin: converting tyrosine to dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA). The idea is that hydroquinone “fools” the enzyme by taking the place of tyrosine. The options then become obvious: search for other chemicals that “look” like tyrosine to the enzyme, and there are lots of these. Examples? Arbutin,kojic acid, kojic acid dipalmitate, azelaic acid, azeloyl glycine, ellagic acid, and others. Inhibitors vary in the affinity for the enzyme’s active site, measured by the concentration required to obtain a certain effect.

What ingredients should you look for in a lightener? 

There is more to melanin synthesis than the activity of tyrosinase. My suggestion is to look for multifunction products (or products). What do you need?

• Sunscreen (and avoid the sun): Sunscreen long-term will allow the skin to decrease pigmentation and even recover youthfulness.
• Antioxidants: the link between UV and damage passes through ROS* (reactive oxygen species); antioxidants will stop DNA damage (and melanin synthesis) before it happens.
• Inhibitors of melanin synthesis: much later in the process, you can still decrease pigmentation by inhibiting the enzymatic reaction that starts melanin synthesis.
• Retinoids: promote skin renewal; the “fresh” skin will be lighter if you prevent melanin synthesis!
• Exfoliants: remove over-pigmented skin to expose fresher, non-hyperpigmented skin. The newly exposed skin is more sensitive to UV damage, so “baby” it with antioxidants, sunscreen, and a big hat.
• Protect your stem cells: your stem cells should be healthy, don’t let them be damaged by UV and ROS*, do your best to repair them. You can go and peel and peel, but if your skin stem cells are damaged, the spot will come back.

How to fight hyperpigmentation

As usual, go slow. It took decades to get that sunspot, so take some time to lighten it. Your skin is alive; it’s not a wall you can sand and re-paint. But do prevention: sunscreen will go a long way towards decreasing unwanted pigmentation. UV starts the process: melanocytes perceive the threat posed by UV and start the melanin factory.

What type of ingredients do Skin Actives offer you?

Sunscreen (with antioxidants), antioxidants, inhibitors of melanin synthesis, exfoliants, modifiers of melanocyte molecular biology

What products do Skin Actives offer you?

https://skinactives.com/skin-brightening-cream/