Product: Active White Plus Bleaching Cream

Before this post misleads you, I am reviewing Active White Plus Bleaching Cream NOT as a facial product. Read on to find where I used it.

I haven't recovered from my Boracay fever so this post has still something to do with our honeymoon/wedding anniversary trip to the island. While I was searching for new swimwears to don at the beach, I was also faced with another concern. My body is not perfect and so is my skin. There are some parts that, let's just say, darker than the others. And if I were to wear bikinis, I'd risk revealing those "areas". Well, they are not really dark like gross-"ew!" dark. But the uneven color is noticeable especially since my thighs and hips are whiter than most parts of my body.

So I set out to find a solution. The first stop was Watson's Drugstore (Actually, it's the only place I had in mind). While my husband was buying the other toiletries, I was so absorbed in scanning all whitening products on display and in reading all those ingredients in fine prints until my eyes hurt. Anything with Paraben, I placed back into the shelf. I'm not really an organic buff, but I know that the Paraben is bad enough for major cosmetic industries to refrain from using it in their products. Although, the subject is debatable, I just want to be on the safe side.

Anyway, after more than an hour of reading, I finally settled on Active White Plus Bleaching Cream. The ingredients and the price looked reasonable and I assumed it's a facial product. I read somewhere that inguinal areas are as sensitive as our face so any harsh products might irritate and make them darker. So I zeroed in on products that are formulated specifically for facial use and deemed them safe and mild enough. But that's only my theory, nothing scientific nor medical, so don't quote me on that one .

Active White Plus Bleaching Cream comes in a small 15g  tub. It retails at Watson's for P179.75. Active ingredients include: Hydroquinone, Retin A, Glycerin and Aloe Vera Extract.

Consistency is thick and creamy and the scent is very faint and almost undetectable.

I only had less than two weeks to whiten those areas before we head to Boracay, where I might, just might, decide to wear a bikini. So I applied this religiously everyday on my inguinal areas and on my lower butt (the part just beneath the curve), along with A Bonne Salt Scrub. On some days, I also applied it at night before I go to bed.

And the result?

Well, I kept the cover-ups on while in Boracay. But had I decided to be more daring, I can confidently do so without worrying about those dark "areas" because I noticed that the areas where I applied the cream on were significantly whiter than they were two weeks ago. And since they were not really dark dark to begin with, the color was almost even. Any difference, I believe, will not be noticeable even under the bright beach sun. They also felt smoother and softer.

I was more than pleased with the result of Active White Plus Bleaching Cream. So much so that I am contemplating on using this on my face as well. But I'm quite satisfied with whitening effect of Shulammite Carrot soap at the moment, and I really don't want to risk having major breakouts again from trying different facial products.


My tub is almost empty but I plan on purchasing another Active White Plus Bleaching Cream again, and also to use it in other areas that I feel could use some whitening. Glad this was the one that I settled on--cheap and very effective.

UPDATE 04/06/11: Someone pointed it out to me that Hydroquinone might not be a safe ingredient. I've heard issues about Hydroquinone before, but after I've watched a local dermatologist saying on national television that it is safe to use on skin, I wasn't bother with the fact that Active White Plus Bleaching Cream has Hydroquinone.

Anyway, the remark prodded me to make a cursory search (I know very few sites are reliable when it comes to medical facts, so I choose those that I think are authoritative).

Is Hydroquinone Safe?
This effective spot-bleaching ingredient is banned in some European and Asian countries, largely because of studies in which cancer developed in rats that consumed extremely large amounts of it over extended periods of time. And last year, the FDA announced that it was reexamining the safety of hydroquinone. However, most U.S. experts — including the American Academy of Dermatology — stand firmly behind the drug. "Hydroquinone has been used over the last 40 years, and there has not been a single documented case of either skin cancer or internal cancer associated with it," says Dr. Friedman. Like all drugs, it needs to be used properly, and he recommends that his patients apply it no more than twice a day for no longer than six months. Adds Dr. Hirsch: "When used as intended, and for a finite time, this drug is safe and is the most effective treatment available for pigmentation. Period." [Source:WebMD]

A brief review of hydroquinone
... Hydroquinone (HQ) has a long history of safety when used properly. It should not be used if you are pregnant or in the process of conceiving. You should notify your doctor of any other medical conditions especially kidney or liver disease. It is available over the counter in 2% concentrations which are generally weak an useful in mild cases of hyperpigmentation or for maintenance. As a prescribed medication it commonly prepared in 3-7% concentrations. IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that you adhere to strict regimen of avoidance of sun exposure while being treated with HQ and institute application of sunscreen at all times. [Source: Otto Joseph Placik, MD - Chicago Plastic Surgeon / RealSelf.com]

Having read these statements, I thought I should warn you that this product should be applied no more than twice a day and should not be used for prolonged periods (not more than 6 months).

I'm on my second tube now and I'm using it to whiten my underarm after a DIY underarm waxing disaster I had 3 weeks ago (more on that on a separate post). I'll probably use up the cream but it'll be unlikely that I'll purchase again because by then, it might be my 3rd or 4th month using Active White Plus Bleaching Cream. Just want to be on the safe side.