There is a natural way to lighten your skin safely, but the over-the-counter skin whitening products that you will find at your local drug store are just not safe. The ingredients used by cosmetic companies to achieve skin whitening are hydroquinone, mercury, exfoliants and various kinds of acids. The most common of these is hydroquinone. Let me tell you a little something about that "ugly" ingredient.

Skin Lighteners Dangers

It is also known as benzene-1, 4-diol. Its chemical structure is two hydroxyl groups bonded to a benzene ring. Benzene is known to be a cancer causing chemical. For that reason, alone, it should be banned as an ingredient in cosmetics. It is banned in some countries. But, it’s not in the US, because it is considered "safer" than other lighteners, such as mercury.

Even if it were not a carcinogen, would you want to use something on your skin that can cause the appearance of black bumps all over your skin? That is a reaction that is sometimes seen by users and the condition is irreversible.

According to the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments, the ingredient is only considered safe, IF it is rinsed off thoroughly. But, the directions seen on the labels of these products indicate that it should be left on.

Safe Skin Lighteners - Safest Ingredients

Let’s take a look at some safer alternatives. The ingredients that you will see in the safest whitening creams include:

• Bearberry

• Mulberry

• White mulberry

• Paper mulberry

• Licorice extract

• Vitamin C

• Nut-grass root, which is also known as coco-grass, purple nut sedge and red nut sedge

Of these ingredients, clinical trials have shown that nut-grass root is the most effective. You see, skin lighteners work by inhibiting melanin production. Melanin is responsible for the darker pigmentation that you see.

Other extracts have been shown to inhibit melanin production by only 8.9% at a .5% concentration, which is generally considered a non-irritation concentration. A 0.5% concentration of nut-grass root inhibits melanin production by over 41%. It is obviously more effective than hydroquinone, because all of the companies that include that ingredient use a 2% concentration.

Best Skin Whitening Cream

The best women’s day whitening cream contains additional ingredients that counter the signs of aging and the product can be used as a daily moisturizer on an indefinite basis. Companies that make hydroquinone whitening creams warn that customers should "discontinue use after three months". That’s how dangerous the chemical is.

Look for These Ingredients - If not there DON'T BUY IT!

If you want to even out pigmentation or have an overall lightening effect…if you also want to get rid of wrinkles, fine lines and improve firmness, you need to look for a cream that contains nut-grass root extract, Functional Keratin, wakame kelp, coenzyme Q10, natural vitamin E, passion fruit extract and grape seed oil.

All of those ingredients work to counter and delay the signs of aging. No matter how old or young you are, you can always improve the appearance of your skin. Remember that you should also be using a restorative night cream and when your skin becomes lighter it is more easily burned. See author box below for a real natural skin whitener that is safe and effective. - Margaret Bell