This may be done for reasons of appearance, politics, or economics. Attempts to whiten large areas of skin may also be carried out by certain cultures. These agents, however, are not allowed in cosmetics in Europe due to concerns of side effects. Effective agents for specific areas include corticosteroids, tretinoin, and hydroquinone. Īreas of increased pigmentation such as moles may be depigmented to match the surrounding skin. While some countries do not allow mercury compounds in cosmetics, others still do, and they can be purchased online. While a number of agents-such as kojic acid and alpha hydroxy acid-are allowed in cosmetics in Europe, a number of others such as hydroquinone and tretinoin are not. Įfforts to lighten the skin date back to at least the 1500s in Asia. In Pakistan, where skin lightening products are popular, creams have been found to contain toxic levels of hydroquinone and mercury. In India, specifically, over half of skin care products are sold to whiten skin. In a number of African countries, between 25 and 80% of women regularly use skin whitening products. This includes mercury compounds which may cause neurological problems and kidney problems. Several chemicals have been shown to be effective in skin whitening, while some have proven to be toxic or have questionable safety profiles. Also after you are done with it you can recycle it back to the mac stores which is good.Skin whitening, also known as skin lightening and skin bleaching, is the practice of using chemical substances in an attempt to lighten the skin or provide an even skin color by reducing the melanin concentration in the skin. Down side is it's only available at the mac counters and not in drug stores or anything like that and mac stores arent really everywhere, you can get it online also. Another good thing about this brush cleaner is that is doesn't take to long to dry after cleaning, especially if you are just spot cleaning your brushes which is great. The thing that I also like about this brush cleaner is that is doesn't have a strong smell before or after cleaning your brushes which some others that I have tried have and I dont like.

It's very easy to use, you can use it to spot clean your make up brushes or do some deep cleaning of your brushes too. It's a bit pricey but I think its worth it since it works good and lasts a long time. I have been using the MAC brush cleaner for a few years now and I think it is one of the best ones out there.

True MAC Brush Cleaner works really good! It has also not irritated my skin at all, and I have sensitive skin. I actually also like the pinkish color of the cleanser, since it is for girls anyways right? Well, so far it has done as promised, and always leaves the brushes like new (the white brush is white and new again!), so I recommend it. I made the mistake of storing it on its side, and it did tend to leak and make a mess on things. One thing I would recommend, however, is to store your bottle upright. I like how well the cleanser cleans the brushes, how quickly, and how soft and supple it leaves them. I have not used the cleanser as often as I could have, but so far I haven't used much at all! The bottle is plenty for several years of use. It is recommended that you clean your brushes often as to extend the life of your brushes (they have a warranty, unnecessary if you ask me, they last forever!). When I purchased my two brushed from MAC 5 years ago, I also purchased the brush cleaner.

Mac brush cleaner