Best skin-lightening ingredients to boost your confidence
In an ideal world, we would love to have perfect skin. The one that is so soft, supple, hydrated, with an even tone, without any blemish, and has long said goodbye to conditions like acne. However, sadly, life comes in between. Because of everyday stress, we are essentially obligated to deal with dullness, dark spots and pigmentation, and dryness. Your skin might be healthy enough to go about the days, but little spots of pigmentation can be no less than a bane. Skin pigmentation is not only something that disrupts the evenness of your skin tone, it also throws your self-confidence under the bus. The skincare industry is booming with ingredients and products that claim to even out your skin tone by lightening spots of hyperpigmentation. Today we’ll be discussing the top ingredients that you should look for in order to get the skin of your dreams when you think of skin-tightening solutions
Glutathione is a promising skin-lightening ingredient that helps to decrease the synthesis of melanin which is the primary pigment that aids in the process of pigmentation. Because of various insults like DNA damage, the synthesis of melanin is increased manifold, leading to hyperpigmentation. Glutathione scavenges free radicals that cause this DNA damage, decreases the synthesis of melanin, and converts eumelanin (the brown pigment associated with hyperpigmentation) to pheomelanin (the reddish pigment that helps in skin brightness).
Astaxanthin, a carotenoid (precursor of vitamin A), is another potent antioxidant that helps to decrease dryness and protects the skin against free radicals and sun damage. It can be used as a topical product or oral preparation, and this powerhouse can do wonders when it comes to skin lightening.
Alpha arbutin, also called Hydroquinone β-D-glucopyranoside, reduces melanin formation, and improves the appearance of age and sun spots, freckles, melasma, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
Tranexamic acid might probably be the “it girl” when it comes to fading away dark spots and decreasing skin pigmentation. Despite being an ‘acid’, it is extremely gentle on your skin and can ideally be used by anyone with any skin type. By acting as an antioxidant, it quickly scavenges reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and thus prevents hyperpigmentation.
Mequinol or 4-methoxy-phenol is an active ingredient used for skin lightening. It acts as a competitive inhibitor of the enzyme tyrosine, which is an important enzyme for melanin synthesis or melanogenesis. It is often used in combination with retinoic as well as Q-switched lasers.
Acids, particularly alpha hydroxy acids like glycolic acid, lactic acid, and mandelic acid are particularly useful when it comes to achieving even, blemish-free skin. These acids penetrate deep into the skin and increase cellular turnover.
Vitamin C is the most popular ingredient for skin brightening and whitening. It increases the synthesis of collagen, rendering your skin soft, supple, and younger looking. Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid as it is also known as, is also a free radical scavenger, this reduces DNA damage and the appearance of dark spots because of reduced synthesis of melanin.
