The Different Meanings Between: Skin Lightening, Brightening, & Whitening

If you have ever suffered from different forms of dark blemishes or maybe felt that your skin was dull and lacked a radiant glow, then it’s likely you have looked to skin lightening, brightening or whitening products to help alter your skin’s complexion to help brighten your skin to make it look and feel more alive.

Using these lightening, brightening, and whitening products have many advantages to them and can really enhance one’s features if used currently. However, in a vast ocean of skin bleaching products, it can feel somewhat overwhelming with all the different terminology associated with each product that promises lighter skin.

So, what are the main culprits of confusion? Simply, the terms used on every skin bleaching product such as “skin lightening”, “skin brightening”, and “skin whitening” all are used to describe how the product performs in terms of bleaching your skin.

If you’re wondering if there is a distinct difference to each phrase, the short answer is yes. As you continue reading, we shall cut through the confusion to help you better understand each term to help you better find the products that will grant you the results you’re searching for. Let’s dive in to learn all the differences between skin lightening, brightening, and whitening!

Skin Brightening, Lightening, & Whitening: The Difference

The first thing you need to understand and take away from these often-used terms is that they are mainly used in an interchangeable manner, explaining the different advantages and levels of bleaching in each one. Depending on how potent a skin bleaching product is, each of these terms is implemented to define the level of strength the product has. For instance, brightening is of the lower spectrum of bleaching power, while whitening is of the higher end.

Though these terms are used to give you an understanding of a product’s capability, the ingredients contained within the formula are what matters in terms of understanding the effectiveness of a product and how it will perform once applied to the skin.

Once you know what each ingredient does and how powerful they are for skin bleaching, you’ll soon be an expert to knowing all there is to know about skin bleaching products! With that being said, let’s look at the different ingredients used within skin brightening, lightening, and whitening products, so you know what to look for the next time you see a product promising to lighten, brighten or whiten your complexion.

What is Skin Brightening?

When you notice the word “brightening” labeled on a skincare product it’s not exactly referring to transforming your skin to lighter, whiter shades of color – instead, it’s mainly about rejuvenating dry, dull, tired and textured skin so it visibly looks refreshed, healthy and radiant. In some cases, brightening creams or serums contain ample amounts of skin lightening ingredients to “improve” one’s appearance by tackling dark imperfections like freckles, age spots, and dark spots to enhance your skin’s features by evening out your skin’s tone.

So, what is the magic ingredient contained in these brightening creams/serums? Exfoliants!

It is said that teen’s skin cell turnover is every 28 days and is a huge reason why many adolescents have naturally healthy radiance to their skin (well, when they’re not dealing with the effects of pubertal acne). As we begin to age, the process of cell turnover begins to slow down (a lot) as we near our mid-30s, with skin cell turnover rates slowing considerably every 40 days!

So why does using the proper exfoliant matter? Well, using the right skin brightening products that contain the right amount of exfoliants can help give your skin a boost in glow when dead skin cells are sloughed away regularly to remove excess dead skin cells build-up that remains on the skin’s surface. Result? Brighter, even-toned skin that has a natural glow.

Here are a few of the best ingredients you should be looking for in skin brightening products:

Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs). Known as AHAs, these popular, yet effective ingredients are found in many skin brightening products today, and for a good reason too! In short, AHAs are chemical exfoliants that can penetrate deep into the skin’s dermis and are gentler on the skin compared to “manual exfoliants” that are used in scrubs to remove excess skin cells that lie on the top layer of skin.

Of this chemical compound, glycolic acid has the smallest of particles and can penetrate much deeper; however, it is also the harshest on the skin. We recommend choosing gentler AHAs such as lactic acid or mandelic acid as an alternative to glycolic acid for those who have sensitive skin.

Beta hydroxy acid (BHA). Known as a stronger exfoliant compared to AHAs, BHAs (like salicylic acid) go much deeper into the skin’s dermis and have the unique attribute of being oil soluble – meaning they can dissolve through natural oils that clog pores. BHAs are perfect for acne-prone skin types with the expectation that they are much harsher than the AHAs.

Fruit enzymes. If you’re someone who has sensitive skin and may experience irritation from using AHAs or BHAs, then no worries there, fruit enzymes are an all-natural alternative that can gently exfoliate the skin. Fruit enzymes are exactly that, enzymes within fruits like pineapple, papaya, pumpkin, and even figs contain an abundance of enzymes to help exfoliate the skin without causing irritation or rashes.

Vitamin C. Last, we have our #1 favorite all-natural skin brightening ingredient that really works! Known as one of the most effective skin brightening/lightening agents, Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that protects the skin from environmental pollutants and UV radiation.

Vitamin C works by neutralizing free radical cells that damage the skin and cause aging to help rejuvenate the skin and keep it naturally radiant. Also, it helps to repair the skin at a faster rate and scar much less, slows the production of melanin for lighter, brighter skin, and boosts the production of another crucial enzyme needed for our bodies, Glutathione.

As time goes on, the levels of Vitamin C within the skin declines naturally with age. We suggest utilizing skin care products that contain this amazing antioxidant to help boot skin lightening and brightening.

What is Skin Lightening?

There’s a big difference between skin brightening and lightening. While brightening enhances glow and “fades” away some of the dark blemishes we have, skin lightening takes it another step further to completely diminish the visible appearance of dark spots like hyperpigmentation and melasma. It also has the capability to treat forms of sun damage and acne scarring. Some lightening products are even potent enough to alter the skin’s complexion by a shade if used regularly which is useful if you’ve suffered from a tan and want to have your natural tone of skin back.

Whether you are looking to achieve lighter skin from using lightening products, or just simply want to remove unwanted dark patches, using skin lightening products can help you achieve the desired needs. The best thing? There are many melanin inhibitors to choose when it comes to skin lightening products, not to mention that some of them are all-natural and suitable for all skin types.

Below you will find a list of the best melanin inhibitors found in skin lightening products.

Hydroquinone. Known to be one of the most controversial chemical skin lighteners, hydroquinone remains at the top for being the most effective skin lightening ingredients used in many of the skin lightening and whitening products we use today.

Hydroquinone can be found over-the-counter in a low concentration; however, don’t underestimate its potential to lighten skin. Even in lower concentrations, hydroquinone is strong enough to get the job done considerably by inhibiting melanin (pigments within the skin). Unlike natural skin lighteners, hydroquinone is much more potent because of it being chemical based, with a downside of not being suitable for all skin types. We recommend only using products that contain hydroquinone for short-term use only.

Kojic Acid. The second and most popular skin lightening ingredient used is known as Kojic Acid and makes for an excellent all-natural alternative to the chemical hydroquinone. Kojic acid works by inhibiting the conversion process of tyrosinase to melanin while interfering with the oxygen uptake required for enzymatic browning. From this process, you can expect to notice a lighter complexion in the desired areas of which kojic acid formulas are applied.

Azelaic Acid. If you suffer from unwanted pesky dark blemishes on the surface of your skin that you want to get rid of without lightening your overall complexion, then azelaic acid is the way to go! In a nutshell, azelaic acid works by reducing the melanin production by precisely targeting abnormal pigment-producing cells within the skin. This makes azelaic acid perfect for fading away forms of hyperpigmentation like melasma or acne spots. However, be sure to keep in mind that this skin lightener doesn’t do much in terms of tackling natural spots like freckles or age spots.

What is Skin Whitening?

We have finally reached our last segment on the different terms of skin bleaching. Skin whitening can often be confusing to understand, and this is because skin whitening is used in a few different ways:

Marketing tactics. In Asian countries where having a whiter complexion is highly sought after and is an ideal beauty standard, skin brightening, and lightening productions are usually relabeled as “skin whitening” products to have more of an appeal to customers. Though this seems like they’re trying to trick customers into buying, that’s not exactly the case when brighteners and lighteners can be used together to help whiten your overall complexion. If you check the ingredients listed on “whitening” products, you’ll find that most of them are found in both skin brightening and lightening products, varying in combinations of brightening exfoliants and melanin inhibiting skin lighteners.

To describe a more “intense” lightening process. Skin whitening is a term often used to refer to an intention – the intention to go beyond lightening or brightening your skin to achieve a more drastically whiter shade. Ingredients used can be a higher combination of potent melanin inhibitors to help fade the skin – As an example, combining over-the-counter hydroquinone with other retinols and additional melanin inhibiting agents. It could also mean using higher amounts of skin lightening ingredients to intensify the “whitening” process. Whichever way you look at it, the intention of using whitening creams goes beyond just brightening and lightening the skin.

An actual bleaching agent. Ingredients used for melanin blocking can do as little as blocking; however, there are more serious lightening agents that can give drastic results by stripping the skin of its natural pigments. Known as Mequinol, this chemical compound is a derivative of hydroquinone and kills the melanocytes (cells that produce pigments in the epidermis) leaving the skin looking ghostly pale and white. Monobenzone is another example of a whitening agent. It’s important to understand that these products don’t exactly “lighten” the complexion, but rather whiten the skin to a much lighter shade than you were born with.

Compared to brightening and lightening products, skin whitening products contain serious bleaching agents and should be used with caution when it comes to trying out whitening products. It’s recommended to thoroughly do your research on whitening products before proceeding to use. Be sure always to check the ingredients listed and the experience other customers have had from using the product.

A Recap of Skin Lightening Terms

Now that you have a great understanding of each of the terms used in the world of skin brightening, lightening, and whitening, it should now be clear to you on knowing what to expect when choosing a skin lightening product.

As mentioned above, once you know what you want to achieve, make sure to thoroughly go through the ingredients listed to ensure it’s aligned with the goals you’re after. To summarize:

• Brightening: Is all about increasing natural radiance and glow to the skin while boosting vibrancy.
• Lightening: Is all about reducing the pigmentation, removing discoloration, and evening out the complexion entirely.
• Whitening: Can be a combination of both brightening and lightening ingredients or involve the use of potent ingredients to actually bleach the skin and produce a drastic whitening effect that may result in being several shades lighter than your natural skin tone.