brightening face mask ?

[Celina1093]

What does a brightening face really do ? Are the rumors true that it’s bad to use ? I have a friend that works more or less in the skin care business and he was telling the that a brightening mask is terrible for skin because it (depending on the brand) has some sort of skin whiting chemical... Is that true ??

[Celina1093]

Thank you guys so much ! This information was super helpful ❤️❤️❤️

[heartsmyface]

@Celina1093   Brightening is more of a marketing trigger word that consumers respond well to.  It could mean anything from giving a glow to dull skin, containing white or pink pigment added to tint your skin, clearing your complexion, fading imperfections though acids, to straight up bleaching.   
It’s best to figure out what you’re hoping to achieve with your skin and then look up the active ingredients that will help you achieve that.

 ‘brightening’ means nothing and is broad enough it could mean anything.  Brightening CAN mean whitening but not all ingredients that brighten are whiteners.  
Vitamin C will clear your complexion and fade damage while giving antioxidant protection

niacinamide will fade discolouration 

retinol will help cell turnover 

ahas/glycolic acid will remove dull skin... 

All of these and more claim to brighten.  

[JessRachael]

Your friend is making a pretty broad generalization, and this is definitely not true! It absolutely depends on the specific mask. I’m sure that there are plenty of badly formulated “brightening” products out there. But that’s true in any skincare category! You just need to look for one that has ingredients that are appropriate for your akin, and capable of achieving the results you want. Brightening masks could have a huge range of ingredients in them — vitamin c, fruit enzymes, AHAs, niacinamide, etc. — which are each appropriate for different skin types and results. (Something like hydroquinone would be an ingredient you’d need to be careful with, but that’s probably not a common ingredient in your average brightening mask.) Just do your research on the kind of “brightening” you want to achieve — are you trying to fix dullness? hyperpigmentation? etc. — and find out which ingredients can achieve that. Then you can go from there to find a good mask.

[quspork]

It sounds like your friend is confused, @Celina1093. Personally, I love a good brightening mask since it revives my skin when it's looking tired or dull and gives it a nice glow. 

[sparkles0913]

@Celina1093 brightening face masks are essentially designed to revive dull, lack luster skin. With that being said, some people swear by them but I have tried a few and found them to be nothing more than an overpriced moisturizer, most of which left my face feeling greasy not bright and refreshed. As for them being bad for you, I think you may be thinking of skin/ face lightening masks and creams. Skin lightening products are usually targeted at women with darker skin and yes they essentially use different chemicals to bleach your skin lighter which is very bad for you. Skin lightening products are not legal in the US from what I understand so you don’t have to worry about buying one accidentally. The brightening masks sold at Sephora and such will not bleach your skin but I honestly don’t think they really do much. Skin care is very individualized however so they may work great for some people who have specific skin concerns. For me a vitamin C serum and good moisturizer are enough to brighten up my skin when it feels dull.

[skincare531]

Agree with this post. I have mistakenly purchased whitening products in Seoul, and they are clearly labeled as such. Brightening is in reference to that from-within glow good skin has.