The Most Powerful Whitening Serum Ever

These days, more and more cosmetic companies are making bigger and bigger promises about the results they can deliver. Lancome’s Genifique and Biotherm’s Skin Vivo, for instance, say their products reverse ageing in seven and 30 days respectively. And now, this bold move from Shiseido for its upgraded Intensive Spot Targeting Serum ($156) from the White Lucent range, which has also been revamped.

Unlike anti-ageing skincare, whose results depend to some extent on each woman’s personal perception, the success of a whitening product is more tangible. Either the spot’s there, or it’s not. Either it’s dark, or it’s light(er). For a brand that never makes “your money back” promises, this is one where Shiseido is putting it where its mouth is.

Why is the brand so confident? Well, it is a Japanese brand, and Japan is the birthplace of whitening. Its government has very strict guidelines for cosmetics, especially whitening. All ingredients must be tested in the local market for six years before they are deemed safe for export. And scientists have to test them on themselves, not just in vitro.