- Skin whitening products are available in the form of creams, pills, soaps or lotions. Some contain acids that remove old skin to allow newer, lighter skin to come up from underneath, while others inhibit the production of melanin, which is the substance in skin that gives it color. Most skin lightening products can be safe if used minimally and for localized spot treatment, but many users mistakenly slather cream over their entire faces or bodies in hopes of drastic results.
- Some of the most effective skin whitening agents are also the riskiest, and often the least expensive. For example, mercury-based whitening products have been shown to cause neurological and kidney damage and may also lead to psychiatric disorders, while hydroquinone-based whitening products have been shown to cause leukemia in mice.
- Both mercury and hydroquinone-based products cause the skin to lighten in the short-term by inhibiting the production of melanin, which is a mechanism that protects skin from the sun. But in the long-term, hydroquinone will react with the UV rays of the sun, leading to premature aging and skin cancer.
The toxic chemical in mercury-based products will cause damage to vital organs in the long-term, often leading to liver and kidney failure and, in the worst of cases, mercury poisoning. - Hydroquinone was banned from cosmetics by the European Union in 2001, but has recently been showing up in bootleg creams in places like the United States. Similarly, mercury was prohibited in cosmetics in 1978 by a United Kingdom regulation, but the demand for these products is so high that illegal imports via Asia and Africa are sold under-the-counter.
- Before the onset of chemical-based skin whitening creams, villagers in India were using turmeric and sandalwood powder to lighten their skin. The natural-bleaching agent in lemon juice is also popularly used to fade scars and make skin appear less discolored.