Skin Whitening Science: Melanin 101

Melanin is a biological pigment that can be found in hair, the eyes, the ear, the brain and other parts of the human body. Dermal pigmentation is either dependent on the number, size, composition and distribution of melanocytes or activity of melanogenic enzymes. There are three main types of melanin. Eumelanin, pheomelanin and neuromelanin.
Eumelanin is the most abundant type of melanin in humans. It can be found in two variations. Black eumelanin and brown eumelanin.

Neuromelanin can be found in the medulla, the adrenal gland and pigment bearing neurons (locus coeruleus, substantia nigra, etc.) in the brain.
Pheomelanin is a red-yellow pigment found both in lighter-skinned humans and darker skinned humans. it contains sulphur and is alkali soluble.

Melanin possesses photochemical qualities that makes it an excellent photoprotectant. The protective qualities of melanin rely upon its ability to absorb harmful UV-radiation and transform the solar energy into harmless heat through a process called "ultrafast internal conversion". By this method, melanin can dissipate more than 99.9% of the absorbed UV radiation as heat. This prevents the indirect DNA damage that is responsible for the formation of malignant melanoma and other skin cancers.

Interestingly UV radiation, when it comes in contact with pheomelanin, it possesses the ability of inducing the release of free radicals in the skin, thus intensifying skin damage rather than protecting the skin.

Essence Skin Whitening Pills over time are able to assist in the effect of skin whitening and or lightening, some refer to as bleaching by inhibiting the processes of melanin.  The results obtained are then maintained and are  NOT permanent like certain chemicals like hydroquinone that destroy permanently the melanin synthesis, this is not rebuild-able or reversable. This is needless to say, not good for your skin or body and actually can be toxic. Use Essence Skin Whitening Pills today!  

Information about BioClaire vs. Essence Skin Whitening Pills™

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/skin-lightening/information-about-bio-claire-other-products-251489-6.html

essence whitening pills, skin whiteningbio claire, bioclaire,Essence Skin Whitening Pills™, essence whitening pills, hydroquione, Ivory Coast, safe, toxic

Hi everyone I’m new to forums and things, but I read on this site about the success some were having with Bio Claire Skin Whitening Cream and considering it was inexpensive, I decided to give it a try.

Background history: I have a bad allergic reaction to Hydroquinone.
After about a few days of using BC I broke out horribly all over my body. It started out as a red itchy rash and then soon turned into blistered bumps, some big, some small. On my face, it broke out in little red pimple like bumps. Its SO horrible.

I know there has been a huge debate as to whether this contains Hydroquinone or not, all I can say is that I specifically used this product because it stated it was Natural with NO HYDROQUINONE. My allergic reaction was very reminiscent of my previous Hydroquinone break outs.

Can anyone tell me if they’ve experienced similar issues and if it healed and went away? I’ve stopped using BC for the time being, but I really do want to use something that will even my tone.
Thanx everyone!

Hi, I’ve been using Bio-claire now for about 2 months… Because of personal issues, almost 50% of my family mebers are mixed and most of Exes have always praised “light skin es” no offense to anyone… My problem is, I am lighjt all over my body except my face and I’ve alsways had remarks about it, so I wanted a uniform shink tone, and just feelal bit better about myself…

BIO CLAIRE was exactly what I needed, it said ” W/out Hydroquinone” , on the tube, so I though to myself… “why not”?

My skin had become uniform and beautiful and spotless after about 3 weeks, so I’ve become addicted to the products. But I noticed that every time I ran out of it, My face went back to being a bit darker and I’d freak out…
Now about a couple weeks ago I’ve noticed some areas of my skin were a bit red & itchy and I had a rash and I had little blistered bumps on my fingers only…

I am not sure what is causing this on my body, I love the products because it gave me a uniform skin tone… but I am little scared at the same time… I’ve ran out of the product and I ordered more… but I am worried about the long term side effects…

You cannot trust whats in BioClaire, it’s produced in African without regulations.  It changes its formula all the time. And alot of the stuff on shelves is fake. I’ve noticed bottles with cheaper looking almost computer print out labels and with an unresponsive gmail account listed as a contact for the manufactuer.  Ive also seen expired bottles on store shelves, one was expired 02/2009!! I have good eyes and noticed that print on the bottle, most wouldnt. Im sure any active ingredients were deminised beind there so long. Bio Claire works yes, but what does it contain??? Yes it seems to list all the ingredients we’ve love for a product to have and be all natural like it says. But why does it always smell like hydroquinone? A smell you cannot mistake…its so unique.  It thins your skin unlike Essence Whitening Pills which ARE all natural and auctually safer for you entering your mouth vs. being topically applied as our pills dont get absorbed into the bloodstream direct, our pills get processed by the liver. Toxic creams in products like BioClaire, go directly into your blood stream and can cuase all sorts of depression, weird behavior, and cosmetic poisioning. 

BE SMART. STICK WITH WHATS SIMPLE, NATURAL AND USA PRODUCED WITHIN GMP STANDARDS.  PLUS WITH A MONEY BACK GUARANTEE, ESSENCE WHITENING PILLS GIVES YOU NOTHING TO LOOSE AND ENCOURAGES YOU GIVE IT A TRY. SURE YOU’LL HAVE TO MAINTAIN YOUR NEW BRIGHTER SKIN WITH ESSENCE WHITENING PILLS, BUT ITS A SMALL PRICE TO PAY FOR HEALTHY LIGHTER SKIN YOU CAN REALLY BE CONFIDENT IN!!

HTTP://SKINWHITENINGPILLS.EU.PN
Essence Skin Whitening Pills™

Order for yourself or for a friend who might be in need. Friends dont let friends use toxic substances they’ll ultimately regret down the road and pay for the hard, irreversible way.

Skin Whitening Science–The Origins of Skin Color

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http://skinwhiteningpills.eu.pn

Introduction

Heredity appears to play a role in skin pigmentation, distribution of melanocytes, melanin content, and melanin activity. Variations in melanosome quantity, size, type, and arrangement within melanocytes are deemed responsible for the differences in skin color.

Racial (ethnic) differences in skin properties may explain racial disparities seen in dermatologic disorders and provide insight into appropriate differences in the management of these disorders. However, racial differences in skin have been minimally investigated by objective methods and the data are often contradictory. Objective methods studied include transepidermal water loss, water content, corneocyte variability, blood vessel reactivity, elastic recovery/extensibility, pH gradient, lipid content, surface microflora, microscopic evaluation of mast cell granules, and confocal microscopy.

Melanin / Melanosomes / Melanocytes

• Tyrosinase. In Caucasian melanocytes the melanosome-bound enzyme is largely inactive. Conversely melanosomes of Black melanocytes have up to 10 times more tyrosinase activity and produce up to 10 times more melanin than melanocytes derived from Caucasian skin.
  However, the variation of levels of tyrosinase activity in melanocytes derived from black skin is not due to a greater abundance of tyrosinase gene activity but by a post-translational regulation of pre-existing enzyme.
  Results from immunotitration experiments and Western immunoblots reveal that approximately equivalent levels of tyrosinase mRNA are present in white and black skin cell strains. In contrast, melanocytes derived from red-haired people contain low numbers of tyrosinase molecules and low levels of tyrosinase mRNA suggesting that transcriptional activity of the tyrosinase gene is suppressed.
• PH. Data support that the rate of melanogenesis may be determined by differences in intracellular pH of melanocytes and melanosomes in Black and Caucasian skin types. The models suggest that melanosomes of Caucasian melanocytes are acidic, while those of Black individuals are closer to neutral pH. Since tyrosinase is inactive in an acidic environment, the enzyme is largely inactive in Caucasian melanosomes but optimal for melanin synthesis in Black melanosomes.
• Melanosome Distribution. Another distinguishing characteristic between light skin and dark skin is the pattern and distribution of melanosomes in the cytoplasm of keratinocytes.
  A recent study using electron microscopy demonstrated that melanosomes within keratinocytes of African American skin have predominantly individually dispersed melanosomes (88.9%), Caucasian skin is predominantly distributed in membrane-bound clusters (84.5%) with clusters containing approximately 4 to 8 melanosomes and Asian skin has a combination of individual and clustered distribution of melanosomes with a proportion of 62.6% vs. 37.4%, respectively.
• Rate of Degradation. As demonstrated in studies, the pattern of degradation of melanosomes may vary among ethnic groups. Transmission electron micrographs of skin taken from light and dark upper-arm skin biopsies demonstrate an enhanced degradation/reduction of melanosomes in light skin samples. In white skin melanosomes are confined to the lower epidermal layers, the stratum basale and stratum spinosum. Light skin lacks melanosomes in the stratum granulosum and stratum corneum, suggesting a differential processing of melanosomes between light skin and dark skin. Melanosomes in black skin are distributed throughout the epidermis with increased numbers in the basal layer. Dark skin showed retention of melanosomes throughout the epidermis, with melanosomes still apparent in the upper skin layers, including the stratum granulosum and stratum corneum.
• Melanosome Size. The present data indicate a size gradient of melanosomes in the keratinocytes and corneocytes across ethnicities with Africans having the largest melanosomes followed by Indians, Mexicans, Chinese, and Europeans
  Electron microscopy analysis of mean melanosome size also revealed a progressive variation in size with ethnicity, with melanosomes in dark skin being the largest (1.44 +/- 0.67 microm(2) x 10-2) followed in turn by those in Asian skin (1.36 +/- 0.15 microm(2) x 10-2) and Caucasian skin (0.94 +/- 0.48 microm(2) x 10-2). 
  In addition, it was shown that the melanosomes that are individually distributed tend to have a larger size than the clustered melanosomes.
• Shape. In light-skin type cells, increased melanin production resulted in a more elliptical shape of melanosomes. In melanosomes that constitutively produce more melanin, the tyrosine-induced melanogenesis caused enlargement in all dimensions.
• Melanogenesis. Research has also shown a greater rate of melanogenesis and higher melanin content in darker skin types with lighter skin types having approximately half as much epidermal melanin as the most darkly pigmented skin types as demonstrated in various studies both in vitro and in vivo.

Barrier Function

Although no large, multi-ethnic group studies have been performed looking at all of the skin barrier physiologic properties and their relation to clinical signs of disease, several small studies show that barrier function of the skin depends on the structure of the corneocytes, lipid content, and transepidermal water loss. In clinical practice, these small variations should play a role in ethnic-specific treatment regimens for common hyperpigmentation conditions.

• Stratum Corneum. In comparison with white skin, the black skin stratum corneum is equal in thickness and weight, but has more corneocyte layers and a more compact stratum corneum with greater intercellular cohesiveness: about twenty cell layers are observed in blacks versus sixteen layers in whites.
  Although the size of the individual corneocytes is the same in black and white skin, the desquamation rate in certain locations is higher in black skin. This is likely because of increased desquamatory enzyme levels, such as cathepsin L2 in the lamellar granules of darker pigmented individuals, leading to an "ashy" manifestation.
  A comparative study found that in Black subjects, a greater number of tape strippings were required for complete removal of the stratum corneum when compared to Whites with patients with skin types II/III requiring only 29.6 +/- 2.4 tape strippings to perturb the barrier, and skin type V/VI group requiring 66.7 +/- 6.9 tape strippings. Microscopically, Black skin demonstrated higher average numbers of stratum corneum layers than White skin. 
  Furthermore, while barrier function in skin type II/III recovered by approximately 20% by 6 hours and 55% by 48 hours, barrier function in skin type V/VI, independent of race, recovered more quickly, 43% and 72% at 6 and 48 hours, respectively. 
  Ethnic differences in stratum corneum pH have been explored and shown that pH regulates homeostasis in epidermal permeability. The most recent study examining pH of the cheek, forehead, and arm did not find any differences among African-Americans, Asian Indians, Caucasians, East Asians and Latinos. A prior study found a significantly lower pH in Black women compared to Caucasian women only after three tape strippings. Moreover, there were no significant differences in pH with further tape strippings suggesting pH is similar in both races within deeper layers of the skin. Another study by Warrier et al. demonstrated a lower baseline pH on the cheeks in Blacks but not on the legs. The overall results of these studies trend toward the hypothesis that Black skin has a lower pH compared to Whites with some variations according to body sites and depth of skin layers.
• Transepidermal Water Loss. The majority of the evidence (six out of eight studies) indicates that transepidermal water loss is greater in Black skin compared with White skin. Transepidermal water loss measurements of Asian skin are inconclusive as they have been found to be equal to Black skin and greater than Caucasian skin, equal to Caucasian skin, and less than all other ethnic groups in different studies. Racial differences in water content, as measured by resistance, capacitance, conductance and impedance, are also inconclusive as the data are contradictory.
• Ceramide Levels. Black skin has the highest sebum content of all ethnicities followed by Whites, Hispanics and Asians. Black skin also has the lowest ceramide levels, which make black skin the most susceptible to transepidermal water loss and xerosis of the skin, when compared with other ethnic groups.

Photoprotective Properties / Response to UV Radiation

It is well documented in various studies that melanin acts as a neutral density filter that protects the skin from damage by absorbing and deflecting rays of UV light, and it is the source of skin pigmentation.

A study found that five times as much ultraviolet light (UVB and UVA) reaches the upper dermis of Caucasians as that of blacks. The main site of UV filtration in Caucasians is the stratum corneum, whereas in blacks it is the malpighian layer of the epidermis. 

Another study showed that melanin content correlated inversely with cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD markers of DNA damage). This study demonstrated that the correlation coefficient was significantly higher in the lower epidermis compared to the upper epidermis in dark skin. In contrast, fair skin demonstrated similar CPD levels in both the upper and lower epidermis. 

The melanin content, packaging and distribution of melanosomes can impact the degree of photoprotection across racial groups. Larger, individually dispersed stage-lV melanosomes (predominantly in Black skin) have a higher melanin content and absorb more UV light than aggregated, smaller melanosomes with less melanin content (predominantly in White skin). 

These data are consistent with epidemiologic evidence and they also may indicate why blacks are less disposed to skin cancer, photoaging, phototoxic drug responses and are less susceptible to acute and chronic actinic damage.

Skin Whitening / Lightening with Vitamin C (Major Ingredient in Essence Skin Whitening Pills) the Link and Why!

In healthy adults, Vitamin C raises glutathione levels in the red blood cells and lymphocytes Glutathione helps determine the balance of light and dark pigments (pheomelanin and eumelanin) in our skin. L-cysteine and the TYRP1 enzyme also play a part in this balance Taking high doses of Vitamin C (1,000 – 3,000 mgs) can help to lighten skin over time

Since you’re reading this page, you’ve probably already asked yourself: can taking Vitamin C really lighten your skin?

The short answer is: Yes, it can.

But how exactly does Vitamin C help lighten our skin?

The answer to that question is a bit longer, but reading on will be worth it in the end (I promise!). If you don’t have the time to read about just how taking high doses of Vitamin C can lighten your skin, just bookmark this page to read later.

What is Vitamin C?

Before I go on to explain what Vitamin C has to do with our skin color, I think it’s important to know just what Vitamin C is first.

Vitamin C (also called Ascorbic Acid) is a water-soluble vitamin, and is needed by our bodies to form collagen in bones, cartilage, muscle and blood vessels. We get Vitamin C from fruits and vegetables, particularly citrus fruits like lemons, limes and oranges. It is also readily available in pill or liquid supplements.

Although it is a vitamin, Vitamin C is also an antioxidant. This means it can neutralize free radicals which would otherwise damage our skin and other organs. And since it is soluble in water, Vitamin C works both inside and outside of our cells to combat this free radical damage.

Vitamin C and our skin

The skin is the largest organ in the human body and collagen is the building blocks. Our skin benefits greatly from Vitamin C because of its unique collagen-forming properties.

Scientists have found that collagen protein requires Vitamin C for the molecules to achieve the best configuration possible. Vitamin C prevents collagen from becoming weak and susceptible to damage (a process is called hydroxylation). Vitamin C also increases the level of the procollagen messenger RNA. It is also needed to “export” the procollagen molecules out of our cells and into the extracellular spaces. In other words, Vitamin C is crucial in ensuring the structural integrity of our collagen.

Vitamin C also helps to heal any wounds we might have. Studies have shown that when Vitamin C was given to burn victims in high doses, it reduces the transfer of blood and waste products into the tissues (capillary permeability). This could be partly due to Vitamin C’s scavenging effect on free radicals (its antioxidant properties).

In another study, when Vitamin C (2,000 mg) and natural Vitamin E (1,000 IU) were given to 20 men and women, their resistance to sunburn increased by 20% after just 8 days.  They had lower levels of inflammation and skin damage compared to the placebo group, which became more sensitive to sunburn.

Vitamin C is one antioxidant that boosts two more – glutathione and Vitamin E

Have you ever heard of that saying, one thing leads to another? This is especially true with Vitamin C.

This is because taking Vitamin C doesn’t just increase the Vitamin C levels in our blood, it also increases two more very important antioxidants – glutathione (a major antioxidant) and Vitamin E (a fat-soluble antioxidant).

Higher Vitamin C levels boosts glutathione and Vitamin E
Glutathione	Vitamin E
Glutathione is our bodies’ most prevalent antioxidant	Vitamin E is probably the most important fat-soluble antioxidant
It plays an important role in detoxing our bodies	It protects our cells from oxidation by reacting with fatty radicals
Glutathione is a tripeptide and made up of 3 amino acids: Glycine Glutamic acid Cysteine	Vitamin E is a group of compounds made up of tocopherols and tocotrienols. Tocopherols act as antioxidants in human beings.
Glutathione converts into glutathione peroxidase, an important enzyme which prevents oxidative damage	Our liver actually forms the Vitamin E in our blood, but it needs food sources with Vitamin E to do so
Our bodies make its own glutathione supply.Taking glutathione pills and supplements does notraise the glutathione levels in our blood.	Good food sources of Vitamin E include: Wheat germ oil Almonds Sunflower seeds, sunflower oil Hazelnuts Peanut butter

Vitamin C boosts glutathione levels in the blood

Vitamin C and glutathione have a unique relationship. Vitamin C reduces glutathione back to the active form. In its active form, glutathione will regenerate vitamin C from its oxidized state.

Compounds that have Vitamin E activity (tocopherols) also rely on Vitamin C to regenerate back to its active form.

Why is the link between Vitamin C and glutathione levels important in skin lightening?

It’s important because scientists have found out that the way our skin balances between its lighter pigments (pheomelanin) and darker pigments (eumelanin) depends on glutathione, L-cysteine and the TYRP1 enzyme.

Since Vitamin C has been scientifically proven to boost gluthathione levels in the blood, we can say that Vitamin C helps to lighten skin color.

1) Glutathione

Glutathione is found in almost all raw fruits and vegetables. Cooking destroys most glutathione, but that doesn’t really matter. Because although glutathione is found in many fruits, vegetables, and meats, our stomachs and intestines ability to absorb glutathione is very poor.

Speaking of which, please do not be fooled by “gluthathione skin whitening pills”. Glutathione pills and supplements cannot raise the glutathione levels in your blood. They will only serve to make you poorer.

To raise the glutathione levels in our blood, it is better to eat foods that is high in glutamineinstead, such as lean meats, eggs, wheat germ, whey protein and whole grains. These will stimulate the liver so you can produce more glutathione naturally. Glutamine is one of the known precursors of gluthathione production.High doses of Vitamin C will also boost our natural glutathione levels, so supplementation with Vitamin C is important if you want to lighten your skin. Glutathione and Vitamin C show a strong, functional interdependence in vivo.

Note: You can be deficient in glutathione if you take Tylenol (acetaminophen) regularly or in large amounts. Doctors treat emergency cases of acetaminophen toxicity with high doses of N-aceytlycysteine (NAC), which raises glutathione levels in the blood.

2) L-cysteine

L-cysteine is an amino acid found in most high-protein foods including yogurt and whey protein. Good vegetarian sources comes are onions, garlic and broccoli . The L-cysteine derived from N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) helps to boost our liver’s production of glutathione. L-cysteine also helps synthesize proteins, taurine, coenzyme A, and inorganic sulfate.

3) The TYRP1 enzyme (or Tyrosinase-related protein 1)

Sounds scary, I know! But all you really need to know is that this is the genetic part of the whole skin lightening discussion. Our  TYRP1 gene provides instructions for making the TYRP1 enzyme. The functions of this enzyme are still unclear but it is involved in the production of melanin. It’s likely that this is where our genes come into play in determining the color of our skin.

Mutations in the TYRP1 gene has been linked with oculocutaneous albinism.

It is very important to note that, individually, none of these factors decides our skin color. All three are needed to play a part.

Enemies of Vitamin C: pollution, smoking, alcohol, diabetes

If you smoke and drink, chances are your Vitamin C levels are lower than people who don’t. And while we’re at it, do you live in a polluted area? That’ll do it too.

Studies have shown that drinking large quantities of alcohol will lower the amount of Vitamin C in your blood plasma and make you excrete vitamin C through urination. Smoking and general pollution will also lower the level of Vitamin C in the blood. Having diabetes will also reduce your body’s Vitamin C levels.

What does all this mean? Should I take Vitamin C to lighten my skin?

Yes, yes, and yes! If want to lighten your skin by internal means using supplements, detoxing or changing your diet, Vitamin C supplements are essential.

Dosage

You should take a high dose of 1,000 – 3,000 mg of Vitamin C daily either through supplements or fruits. A mixture of the two is best. Spread out your intake of Vitamin C throughout the day for maximum effectiveness.

5 Shocking Facts about Your Cosmetics & Why Essence Whitening Pills Are Ideal!

5 Shocking Facts about Your Cosmetics

Posted: 07/19/2013 8:47 am EDT Updated: 09/17/2013 5:12 am EDT

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by guest blogger Ava Anderson, natural beauty expert and safe cosmetics advocate

I decided when I was 14 that I would work to clean up the beauty industry. After learning about the use of toxic chemicals in personal care products during a news segment, I spent a year researching the products I was using and searching for safer alternatives. I'd get excited when I found a "natural" or "organic" product, but once I looked beyond the marketing and did my homework on the ingredients, I was often left with yet another product with toxic chemicals that did not meet my standards.

I began to share the issue of toxic chemicals in cosmetic products with friends and family through a blog, yet I constantly ran into a wall trying to find a truly safe line to recommend. Too often a company would have one or two products that were somewhat safe, but once I looked into the rest of the line, I couldn't recommend it. I was really upset by this "greenwashing" and, after watching my grandmother repeatedly fail to find products without harmful chemicals--when I reviewed her purchases, every single one needed to be returned!--I finally decided to create my own line.

Armed with a very long list of "no-no" ingredients, I searched for and ultimately found a private-label manufacturer that would work with me to create a line of skin-care products called Ava Anderson Non-Toxic. We launched six months later, in 2009, (when I was 15) with six products. Now, just three and a half years later, we have more than 60 products in 11 categories--skin, face, hair, body, sun, bugs, baby, pet, candles, home cleaning, and scent--and close to 3,000 Ava "consultants" are earning an income share in this important issue all across the country. We chose direct-sales distribution because this important health issue requires personal education. My goal is to build the company so it's large enough to create a paradigm shift in consumer behavior by educating millions of American families personally about this troubling situation.

Lack of regulations and slick marketing campaigns have set everyone up for failure, and here are the five most upsetting facts about the U.S. cosmetics industry.

1. There are only 10 banned ingredients in the U.S., but more than 1,400 in the EU. Manufacturers have to clean up their formulations to export, due to the European Union's stricter safety standards, but they leave in all those toxic chemicals for us because they can!

2. Manufacturers are legally allowed to hide hundreds of chemicals in the ingredient "fragrance" or "parfum" and do not have to list them on the ingredient label. If your product contains the ingredient fragrance, all bets are off because there is no way to determine the true toxicity of the product. Beware--even "fragrance-free" products use the ingredient "fragrance." If a manufacturer isn't willing to tell the consumer everything that is in its products, that's a big red flag!

3. The Red Cross and Environmental Working Group (EWG) conducted a study in 2004 that detected more than 287 synthetic chemicals in the cord blood of newborns. More than 180 of them are carcinogenic, 217 are toxic to the brain and nervous system, and 208 can cause birth defects or abnormal development in animal tests.

4. In his book Toxic Beauty, Samuel Epstein, MD, states it's actually safer to consume your products than to put them on your skin. A percentage of what you put on your skin does enter your bloodstream--and faster than if you swallowed it! Think of nicotine or estrogen patches, used as drug delivery systems because they are an immediate gateway to the bloodstream, bypassing the liver.

5. A number of carcinogenic contaminants are not required to be listed on your ingredients label. Formaldehyde (from DMDM hydantoin), 1,4-dioxane (from sodium lauryl sulfate, PEGs, and ingredients ending in -eth), nitrosamines (from triethanolamine, or TEA; diethanolamine, or DEA; or monoethanolmaine, or MEA), and hydroquinone (from tocopherals) can be included without informing consumers.

Please remember, this is just the tip of the iceberg! If you start reading ingredient labels, and look beyond the misleading advertisements, you can begin to learn how to make safer choices for yourself and your family.

xoxo Ava Anderson

At the age of 15, Ava Anderson launched her own line of personal care and home cleaning products, Ava Anderson Non-Toxic. Now 19, Ava is educating tens of thousands of American families on the issue of toxic chemicals in personal care products through her line, which now includes baby, skin, face, hair, body, scents, bugs, candles, home, sun, and pet products. This fall, Ava will be a sophomore at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and will also actively help run her multimillion-dollar empire with 12 full-time employees. Her goal is to help force a paradigm shift on the issue of toxic chemicals in cosmetics.

For more from Maria Rodale, visit www.mariasfarmcountrykitchen.com.

Skin Whitening A Fad? Growing Global Skin Whitening Market.. Pills and Other Emerging Products / Whitening Cosmetics

Essence Skin Whitening Pills™ - Dietary Supplement for Fairer Skin

See more at: http://www.biktahai.com/health-beauty/essence-skin-whitening-pills-dietary-supplement-for-fairer-skin_i290168#sthash.UBndvcOM.dpuf  or http://skinwhiteningpills.eu.pn 

IS IT REALLY JUST A FAD? SKIN WHITENING?

Dr. Thawee Tangseree, deputy permanent secretary of the Mental Health Department said on 24 September 2012 that the craze for “white and shining skin” among young Thai women was “just a fad.” That young Thai women spend their precious Bahts on products that will make their skin ‘white’, bright and shining in order to make them appealing to men or to gain social status is a “normal” social phenomenon. Matichon quoted him saying:

“This white skin business is just a fad that comes and goes. Soon it’ll be replaced by other fads. Now it’s not just women who pay attention to white, shining skin. The men are also starting to adopt the same value and want the Korean-style white skin as well…”

The doctor would be right. If this advertisement of whitening deodorant for men is any indication, Thai men are also into whitening their armpits. Like the advertisement of the vagina-whitening wash above, none of the characters in this armpit-whitening deodorant looks like an average Thai person you’ll see on the street. But that’s the point, isn’t it? It’s the business of selling beauty ideals. Ideals are to be aspired to and emulate, not what you can find walking on the street.

IS THIS CRAZE FOR WHITE SKIN JUST A THAI THING?

Certainly not. Skin Inc. reported in 2009 that the global skin whitening market was expected to reach $10 billion in this 2010 decade. In Asia-Pacific the market would grow to $2 billion by the end of 2012:

“Japan dominates the global skin lighteners market with the lion’s share, as stated in the new market research report from Global Industry Analysts, Inc. (GIA). The market for skin lighteners in Asia-Pacific is projected to cross the $2 billion mark by 2012, driven by the fast growing markets of China and India. Apart from Asia, Western countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom are emerging as potential markets for skin whitening products. The growing proportion of ethnic groups—Asians, Hispanics and African Americans—in these regions is a major contributor to the enhanced demand for skin lighteners.”

If skin whitening is just a fad, it’s a fad that seems to be pervading all continents, growing increasingly extreme and intrusive, reaching into people’s private areas. A brand of whitening feminine wash was launched in India earlier this year and met with outrage. No such outrage in Thailand so far, though there was a small gentle cry in the Bangkok Post.

As far as commentaries go, Shakira Hussein from the National Centre for Excellence in Islamic Studies at the University of Melbourne made a fair point in her interview with Radio Australia.

BAHFEN: And most people outside of India and Thailand have reacted a little bit incredulously to the notion of skin whitening being expanded to a particular part of the female anatomy, and that is intimate skin washes. What was your reaction?

HUSSEIN: Well I was also incredulous and really taking the skin lightening obsession to a truly bizarre link. On the other hand, I don’t find it any less bizarre, but of course the tanning aspirations in the West, seeking to extend your tan to any part of your body that’s going to ever be visible for anybody, that does seem to be a market for that so I suppose it’s logical that the skin lightening market have a similar level of thoroughness.

White people want to look tanned to signify beauty, status and prestige, distinguishing themselves from the rest in their pale-skinned society, while the brown-skinned people want to look ‘white’ to achieve the same things: prestige, status, beauty and desirability. What is stranger? Whitened vagina and armpits on a bleached body of a previously brown-skinned person? Or a tanned vagina and armpits on a tanned body of a previously pale person?

WHERE WILL THIS SKIN WHITENING CRAZE END?

From where I stand it certainly looks set to go quite a distance before finding its final destination. “The male market is yet to be fully tapped,” Louis-Sebastien Ohl of Publicis Thailand told The Guardian. Who knows, the male equivalent of whitening feminine wash may hit the market soon. Perhaps balls whitening wash, gel or cream, with anti-wrinkle properties?

As for the ladies, once nothing more in the ultimate feminine parts can be made any whiter, the next step could be “glow-in-the-dark.”** No more fumbling for that flashlight in a dark night when the lights are out.

I am no futurist, but in about 10 years we could be talking about “natural light-emitting, self-navigation chips-embedded” masculine and “eco-friendly, feminine bright” products that are powered by the sun. Or maybe not, if ‘white’ skin is still in fashion. They could be powered by dark energy then. Like I said, I’m no futurist and I flunked Physics.

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