Why You Should Avoid Hydroquinone for Skin Lightening

While looking at skin lightening products, oftentimes you’ll notice that hydroquinone is one of the key ingredients listed on the bottle. Hydroquinone is so popular in many products due to the fact that it is very effective for skin lightening. However, there are many reasons why you should avoid hydroquinone for skin lightening, including the fact that it can be dangerous to your health. Learn about the truth of hydroquinone and alternatives that work just as good so that you can protect yourself.

What It Is and How It Works

Hydroquinone is a lightening agent that is produced by a chemical reaction of certain elements. You’ll often find hydroquinone used in products for skin care- specifically skin lightening treatments. It’s a well-known ingredient and is used by many people freely so that they can lighten their skin.  

The reason hydroquinone works so effectively to lighten your skin is because it targets the very pigments that make up our color, also called melanin. When there is less melanin in our skin, our complexion is lighter. Hydroquinone targets melanin and breaks it down, as well as slows the production of melanin as a whole. Both of these efforts combined can show fast results and lighten your skin effectively. Despite its effects, however, hydroquinone may not be the safest ingredient in the market.

Dangers of Hydroquinone

Some skin lightening techniques may seem too good to be true. This is the same with hydroquinone, because although it works great for lightening, it has many drawbacks like the damage it can do to your skin and to your overall health. Many people don’t know about the dangers of hydroquinone which is why it is used very often, but making sure you’re educated about how it can affect your skin is essential to staying safe.

Firstly, hydroquinone is not an all-natural ingredient. This means that it could potentially be harmful to your skin since it was not purely formed. We always recommend sticking with natural ingredients to be on the safe side. Secondly, hydroquinone has elements such as mercury and glucocorticoids in it which can harm your health. In fact, several countries have banned the ingredient or deemed it as unsafe due to these elements. Lastly, hydroquinone can cause negative side effects on your skin, like redness, itchiness, and excessive irritation. Some skin types cannot handle the discomfort caused by hydroquinone, as it can become overwhelming.

Alternatives

Since hydroquinone is not an ingredient we want to apply to our skin due to its dangers, there are other products out there that we can use instead. One such product is Swiss Botany’s Symwhite Skin Lightening & Dark Spot Remover. This product is proven to lighten the dark areas on your skin and get rid of spots and marks. It’s natural, effective, and safe to use on your skin. If you have sensitive skin, our Whitening cream for Sensitive and Intimate areas will work great as well, as it is specifically meant to target skin that can get irritated easily. We recommend trying both of these products to keep your skin bright and safe instead of using hydroquinone. To read more about different natural products that are effective and can work to lighten, brighten, and whiten your skin, check out this article.