What Skin Brightening Is Exactly?

‘Skin brightening,’ ‘skincare,’ ‘anti aging’ are the words that you come across every now and then when you think about skin or even looking at the mirrors. Brightening often rings a bell to get yourself more radiant skin, shining and more youthful all the time. The advertisements running across and the marketing strategies followed by the skincare product selling companies have made people more curious about what wonders they can do with their skin. The word skin brightening became famous also because of that. The notion that skin can be lightened in complexion and that brighter skin is more beautiful came into the picture. However, over time, the best part is that people have realized that the skin’s complexion or tone does not define beauty. So, what is skin brightening? And does it have anything to do with the so-called “beauty standards”?

According to Wikipedia, skin brightening or whitening, lso known as skin lightening and skin bleaching, is the practice of using chemical substances in an attempt to lighten the skin or provide an even skin color by reducing the melanin concentration in the skin. Skin brightening primarily deals with pigmentation and scars and gets your skin tone even, reviving its natural vibrance and glow. It mainly attempts to treat your skin for issues that arise for several reasons, natural like deficiency of certain minerals and vitamins, or other causes like exposure to heat, sun rays, etc. 

There are varied reasons that you may seek skin brightening. A few of them involve visible signs of pigmentation, dry or rough patches on your skin, acne scars, dislike towards the tan, stress creating dullness in your skin, discoloration, etc. According to dermatologists, skin brightening and whitening are effective ways to cure uneven skin tone and get your skin more alive and radiant while also giving it a more youthful appearance. Several products are available to attain skin brightening, and you may have heard of many of them. However, what is the exact implication when a product is labeled as a brightening product?

What should you understand if a skincare product is coined as skin brightening?

Products that may block pigment generation or lift pigment out of the skin (dark spots from the sun or acne scars) are often termed as lightening or brightening products. Brightening also describes products that improve cell turnover and consequently expedite the flaking of broken upper skin layers and unveil the beautiful baby-soft skin underneath. Because of the variation of results that the term “brightening” encompasses, the most efficient way to estimate what a product does is to glance at the ingredients list.

What should brightening skin care products have?

Skin brightening products have several natural and artificial ingredients that help boost your cells’ natural growth and nourishment to lighten your skin. A few elements to look for are Vitamin C, Vitamin B3, Hydroquinone, Kojic acid, Retinol, Glycolic Acid, etc. 

Vitamin C can be obtained from many natural sources and several skin care products that have lightening and fading effects without bleaching. Also, vitamin C is famous for its natural antioxidant properties. Glycolic acid is a great exfoliant and is very efficient in removing the damaged or dead skin cells, which naturally improves the skin. For sensitive skin, seek a product containing lactic acid; it is a safe alternative for brightening and is less likely to agitate any kind of skin. Licorice extract, retinol, vitamin B3 (niacinamide), hydroxy acids are also some of the reliable ingredients for skin brightening. Melanozyme and kojic acid help decrease and fade dark spots without bleaching or overcorrecting.

So, the question is if skin brightening can be easily done at home, why opt for skin brightening products?

The simple answer is, it spares you from a lot of research, helps you save an immense amount of time that you would spend on finding the fruits or plants that would provide you the exact amount of these vital chemicals. It will also save you the trouble to prepare the formula yourself each day and using it on your skin. Also, these skin brightening products carry precisely those ingredients that are effective for skin lightening and nothing else which could possibly cause any harm to your skin that could otherwise be present in the natural alternatives you look for. 

Conclusion: 

Skin brightening is a concept that came into existence to cure skin ailments like pigmentation, blemishes, etc. It became a buzzword with the advertisement and marketing campaigns. However, it is just a personal choice, and you would want to try products. Nonetheless, with so many options flooding the market, it is daunting to make the right choice. So next time when you are at a store or shop online for skin brightening products, you may wish to look for the ingredients mentioned above. If you are a home-remedy preferring, you can easily find these ingredients in several foods and plants you come across on a daily basis.