A systematic review on the skin whitening products and their ingredients for safety, health risk, and the halal status

Abstract

Background Skin‐whitening products are in the high trend of demand for skin beautifying and lightening. Sources of ingredients for cosmetics could be natural, semi‐synthetic, and synthetic that may affect the halal status of a product. The lack of scientific evidence on the safety and risks of such ingredients is a major concern to many consumers. Objective This review paper aimed to shed light on the skin‐whitening ingredients and their issues related to safety, health risk, and halal status. Methodology Based on the reviews scientific publications published from January 2015 to July 2020 using Web of Science and Scopus engines. Findings Based on the review, most of the common ingredients in the skin‐whitening products are originated from plants, animals, microbes, and heavy metals. Health risk of the ingredients was evaluated based on the usage, chronic or acute adverse effect, frequency of incidence, and the hazardous chemical contents of a halal cosmetics. The halal status of the ingredients was investigated based on the sources of origin, safety evaluation, and associated health risk of the ingredients. Originality This review shows that ingredients play a vital role in the halal status decision‐making of a cosmetic product. Therefore, the categories of Halal‐Safe, Haram‐Prohibited, and Critical‐Need further evaluation were suggested to integrate the sources of ingredients with safety.

Ethnobotanical Survey on Skin Whitening Prescriptions of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Taiwan

“…In order to prevent premature degradation, derivatives such as magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, ascorbyl glucoside, and ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate ( Balaguer et al, 2008 ) are often utilized. Caution must be exercised when using various skin whitening components as improper use may lead to dermatitis, erythema, burns, and other skin injuries ( Nordin et al, 2021 ). Thus, manufacturers have begun to seek natural alternatives to develop gentle, hypoallergenic skin whitening products derived from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).…”

Ananas comosus Peels Extract as a New Natural Cosmetic Ingredient: Oil-in-Water (O/W) Topical Nano Cream Stability and Safety Evaluation

“…Dermal absorption is among the pathway of heavy metal exposure following the close contact of the product with the skin [ 22 ]. The deliberate use or unintentional incorporation of heavy metal in a product might endanger consumers, which is not tolerated in halal cosmetics, as it is against the halal concept of Shariah law [ 55 ]. However, an internationally harmonized system remains unavailable for a cosmetic product's safe permissible heavy metals limit.…”

The Use of Calcium Phosphates in Cosmetics, State of the Art and Future Perspectives

“…Furthermore, another use of make-up consists in hiding topical disorders. An example is the bleaching of dark spots, also called age spots, characteristics of hyperpigmentation, demanding skin-whitening products [269,270]. The repeated contact between make-up products and skin may expose consumers to both localized skin problems and systemic effects caused by the absorption of chemical substances.…”