What is Whitening Essence?

Whitening essence is a skin care product that regulates melanin production and boosts cell renewal for an even, bright complexion. It also helps to get rid of dark spots and blemishes.

The Vichy Ideal-White Meta Whitening-Essence lightens the skin while regulating melanin life cycle at all its stages. It also hydrates and gives an instant softness and rosy glow to the skin.

Brightening

Brightening serums are not to be confused with skin whitening products, but whitening essence rather, as their name implies, they help to improve your complexion’s brightness and even out its tone by targeting dark spots and discoloration. The best brightening serums are formulated to do so by using a combination of ingredients that work to lighten and diminish discoloration without causing sensitivity or removing your natural pigmentation.

Ingredients like niacinamide lighten dark spots caused by blemishes, sun damage and aging while brightening the overall complexion. Niacinamide is a good choice for anyone looking to achieve brighter, more radiant skin without having to deal with harsh bleaching or whitening products that can often cause sensitivity and irritation.

Many brightening serums will also contain other ingredients known to target and treat different forms of discoloration and uneven skin tone, such as ferulic acid (which helps to brighten, protect against environmental damage and boost collagen production), vitamin C and licorice extract. Others have lightening and whitening properties thanks to the presence of ingredients such as arbutin or alpha arbutin, which are naturally-derived cousins to hydroquinone and have been proven to reduce the appearance of dark spots. Finally, acids such as kojic acid can also help to gently and effectively lighten the appearance of dark spots or freckles while improving skin’s tone and texture.

Nourishing

Over time, poor dental hygiene, a diet high in sugary foods and drinks, and smoking can cause stains on the enamel of your teeth. Whether you want to remove these stains or simply brighten your smile, there are safe and effective ways of doing so. The LANTHOME(tm) Teeth Whitening Essence provides an effective solution that eliminates stains without the irritation or damage to the gums and enamel caused by bleaching treatments. It also helps freshen breath and promote oral health by neutralizing acidity in the mouth.

Essences are often liquid with a finer texture than toners and have a higher concentration of skin clarifying, whitening, anti-aging, or radiance boosting ingredients. They can be found in both light and thick formulas. Thicker essences are usually gel-like and have the consistency between a lotion and a serum, and they tend to contain humectant ingredients that retain water and increase moisture levels in the deeper layers of the skin.

This multi-purpose whitening essence from Lotus Herbals contains Mulberry extract, Grape extract, and Saxifraga that are known for their skin-lightening properties to help improve dullness, dark spots, and uneven skin tone. It also contains hyaluronic acid to rehydrate and plump the skin.

Evens skin tone

A good skin brightening serum can help even out your complexion, especially if you have some form of unevenness caused by discoloration. Some of them also work by minimizing dark spots, age spots, sunspots, and hyperpigmentation like post acne marks and scars. They usually contain ingredients that target the discoloration and lighten them up by inhibiting the production of tyrosinase, an enzyme responsible for the skin pigmentation process.

However, not all brightening serums are equal. It’s best to avoid brightening serums that use harsh bleaching agents like hydroquinone. These can have serious and negative side effects, particularly on darker skin tones. Instead, whitening essence look for brightening serums that use natural ingredients like flower oils and licorice root extract.

Clarins’ Clearly Corrective Brightening & Tone-Refining Treatment Essence helps to reduce dullness and dark spots for a more even complexion. It’s infused with a plant-based brightening complex of Organic Lady’s Mantle and Organic Sea Lily extracts as well as two superfruits—Rose Myrtle and vitamin C-rich Organic Acerola Seed extracts—that deliver a double shot of oxygen for healthy-looking, radiant skin. The mattifying zinc gluconate also balances your skin’s water-to-oil ratio while pulling down shine for a refined, dewy-fresh complexion.

Targets dark spots

Dark spots can result from a number of skin issues. UV damage can lead to sun or age spots while acne or other skin trauma can yield freckles and post-acne marks. Some are caused by hormones (melasma) and others are genetic (dark patches). Dark spot correctors contain ingredients that prevent and fade discoloration. A key ingredient is vitamin C which helps suppress the synthesis of melanin pigment, while alpha hydroxy acids like glycolic and lactic help dissolve dead skin cells and reveal brighter new skin. Other active ingredients that can help fade dark spots include lightening extracts such as licorice root, turmeric and niacinamide, and discoloration inhibitors such as tranexamic acid and phytic acid.

Formulated with Caudalie’s patented viniferine that inhibits tyrosinase, the formula in this serum works double duty to prevent and fade hyperpigmentation for even skin tone. Other natural ingredients including olive squalane and organic chamomile work to soothe and moisturize skin.

Founded by board-certified dermatologist Howard Murad, the skincare line from SkinMedica is known for its clinical results. We love this age-spot and dark-spot corrector for its patented technology that took 30 years to perfect, along with an impressive blend of skin-lightening ingredients including tranexamic acid, kojic acid, phenylethyl resorcinol and marine extract. The non-comedogenic formula is also free of parabens, sulfates, phthalates, mineral oil, gluten and fragrance.