Is Meladerm naturally good for skin lightening?

NancyM on 12 Feb 2008 at 12:00am

Skin lighteners which include hydroquinone occasionally have some negative reports about their long term effects, but Meladerm claims to be safer way to address a wide array of skin damage:

  • Hyperpigmentation / Dark discolorations
  • Age / Liver spots / Sun spots
  • Freckles
  • Tans / Sun damage
  • Melasma / Chloasma
  • Acne marks
  • Old scars
  • Birthmarks
  • Dark elbows, knees, underarms, knuckles
  • Uneven skin tones

Meladerm represents it's active ingredients of kojic acid and alpha-arbutin as a more natural means of addressing these skin conditions.  But before you run out and buy a year's supply of Meladerm, note that Meladerm usage is not necessary over the long-term as a skin lightener. The company states that Meladerm efficacy "plateaus" after 3 or 4 months. Meladerm manufacturer Civant Skin Care stated in a note to RealSelf.com that "Rather than ‘milking’ customers as some companies will do, we are honest in stating that the product does not have to be purchased indefinitely."

It may be the case that Arbutin is not all that different from hydroquinone. Dermatologist Arnold Oppenheim, MD calls Arbutin "a swarmy, sweet first cousin of hydroquinone. This is my way of saying that Arbutin is glycosylated hydroquinone....hydroquinone with a glucose (sugar) molecule attached. It in fact turns into hydroquinonie as it is broken down. Like hydroquinone it supresses pigment prodcution by inhibiting the tyrosinase enzyme."

A Civant Skin Care representative counters that, while agreeing with Dr. Oppenheim's comments, "it refers to the normal form of Arbutin, otherwise known as Beta-Arbutin (hydroquinone-beta-D- glucopyranoside). Our product, Meladerm does not use this ingredient. Alternatively, we use a completely different form of Arbutin known as Alpha-Arbutin (4-Hydroxyphenyl-alpha-D-glucopyranoside). This form of Arbutin does not break down to hydroquinone and consequently does not pose the same side effects." 

The Meladerm reviews and product feedback we've found on the web range from extreme happiness to disappointment in the results.  Do you think Meladerm is safe and worth it when it comes to lightening and whitening skin?

Comments (63)

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i have a major problem of dry skin and melasma on face. and i wanted to know weather meladerm does work for such problem, as i have been using so many product to get rid from such problem but still not able to get rid from that problem. i will be very much thankful if your product would effectively work on my skin and i hope it would work.please suggest.

I am a Chinese living in singapore and I've beenusing meladerm for 2 months n still using it. It brightens my overall face and pimple marks it but cannot treat melasma. It's effective in treating epidermal layer only but not further than that. There's no effective treatment for melasma it seems.
Yes it works just fine but you really need to make sure the skin is exfoliated so the cream can get down deep into the skin. I don't know why some people dont get as good result but for me it works great.
plzz tell me..is meldarem actually work ?...for un-even skin tone...nd i ve oily skin...so,iz it gud for me?...nd where nd how i get this product in pakistan?...Thank u
is Meldarem actually works?....4 un-even skin tone...and plzz tell me how nd where i get this in pakistan ..
I too agree
meladerm is a huge scam. all the so-called "testimonials" are from fake websites set up by this company. you cannot find any legitimate reviews. also, there is a bbb alert for this company. pathetic.
I agree.
that's true it is not good for dark skin people, Personally i've used that. I ordered 4 bottles from US and used till 3. at the begining very little result came i thought it will increase but it didn't. Then I stopped and sent my pictures to Meladerm Co. They said may be it didn't work for me and suggested dr.

waaak,

I won't suggest people, do not just follow people feedback/comments

Waste of time and waste of money...
I think meladerm is made only for american or any white people. It will not work on any dark or average people's face. please don't buy if your skin is little bit black. Even though prize is also high. so don't buy otherwise you become more and more black.
I was using meladerm for my melasma and it made my spots darker too - very disappointed in this product.
I am searching crazy for any sort of side effect feed back. Last year when I used it, the result was wonderful; very clear skin and lighter even tone. This year however, shockingly it has darkened my skin tone 2 shades. Because I used my left over bottle from last year, I thought that might be the reason and got a new one 2 months back and I guarantee you, my skin got darker and darker. I am so mad and distraught now, not sure what to do. Anybody out there with this experience?
I am searching crazy for any sort of side effect feed back. Last year when I used it, the result was wonderful; very clear skin and lighter even tone. This year however, shockingly it has darkened my skin tone 2 shades. Because I used my left over bottle from last year, I thought that might be the reason and got a new one 2 months back and I guarantee you, my skin got darker and darker. I am so mad and distraught now, not sure what to do. Anybody out there with this experience?
I am a light-skin African American. Meladerm did not work for me; it actually made my melasma darker, so I am very disappointed in this product.
I am Indian and have a dark skin tone on my face from sun damage. I have been using the cream for two months and it has worked to make my skin fairer and more evened to match my body colour. I hope to find this product in the Indian market soon.
Hi I have used Meladerm on scars on my legs. I have had these scars for nearly 8 years and always hated how they looked. After 2 weeks of using Meladerm I noticed a difference but got real results after a month. I was recommended to use it by a friend who cleared up lots of acne marks and pigmentation on her face. She is Jordanian. I bought my Meladerm from www.meladerm.co.uk. I would recommend it to anyone.
I was on the fence about it for almost a year and had been trying dozens of different natural treatments for my melasma.
I am a caucasian male and have been an avid user for the past four months. The purpose was to remove the dark freckling I have on my skin from the sun. These are small brown spots on my arms, face and neck and are not the same as freckles one is born with. I have seen measurable improvement in four months. The spots are lighter. I am only using it on the face to start with and I can tell that the spots are lighter now on my face than they are on areas which have yet to be treated. The first week I noticed some redness and itchyness but I kept with it and now my skin seems to have adjusted. I don't normally write reviews but I felt the need to share my comments since the company was very helpful in dealing with my special requests in regards to shipping.

I've used Meladerm since setember 2009 to january 2010. I found at the begining few improvement in my skin that too just 5-10% in second and third week but not more than that. I thought it may take time to show improvement in my skin and used till three or four months. I've used all, 4 - 100 - Meladerm Creams. To my surprize I didn't find any improvement in my skin. I'm 28 yrs Old an Indian Origin. However, In short, I found a website and read lots of stories, I don't know whether it is true or I just got trapped through websites. When civiantskincare website displays that it improved the skin of many cutomers then why it didn't effect to me? Money Spent got nothing. Waste of money,Hopes,Time & etc.

I started using this product on Dec 18 and today is now Jan 17th so almost exactly 1 month ago. I have seen steady improvement on my face (cheesk and temple area) in both evening out skin color and lightening acne scars. I was kind of expecting it to completely clear by now but I think I may need another few weeks to see full results.
I bought the full kit and using it for 4 weeks. Very good results! Even after first week I could see a great change. now 4 weeks have passed and my face has changed so much and looks very pretty. I dont like the cleanser so I am using my own but the other products are really really good.
I had a sports injury which left a dark patch of skin on my chin. I tried a few creams before and it never helped. I started using Meladerm few weeks ago and the patch has started to fade. It must be strong since this injury happneed almost 4 years ago! Thanks to the makers of this product.
i just got my meladerm 2 days ago and im verry exited but i wonder if its going to make me brak out because i break out alot
I'm on week 5 and seeing progress although it's slower than I originally anticipated. Using it on two dime sized age spots each around 10 years old. I'm not expecting overnight miracles, but I'm happy to say there has been noticeable improvement. Will keep using it until I run out and then will consider buying more if necessary.
I ordered one 3.4 fl oz container of Meladerm. I was shipped two 1.7 fl oz. Both pump containers dispensed exactly 1 fl oz of product.This product is expensive. Make sure you receive the amount purchased. I examined the package design of the dispenser and noted the pump contraption of the container takes up half of the space. The pump dispenser appears large but there is not enough room for 1.7 fl oz of product. If one took the dispenser apart to scrape out the missing .7 fl oz, you will find the container empty and does not exist. Hence the design of a vacuum pump is to eliminate waste. I paid for 3.4 fl oz of Meladerm and ONLY received (two) 2 fl oz within two 1.7 fl oz containers. The containers should larger to be able to dispense every bit of 1.7 fl oz. Look at a package of anti-perspirant, the content amount is always listed as well as additional amount as cushioning for proper packaging of the product. No one scrapes up the last bit of deodorant from the stick. Meladerm should be listed as being sold in 1 fl oz containers and the price lowered accordingly. The (two) 2 fl oz of Meladerm was consumed quickly when applied 2 to 3 times daily within 20 days. Absolutely no satisfactory results were seen at all. I was extended the courtesy of an extended trial of 60 days when I contacted the company for proper return and refund. There was barely enouge Meladerm to use for 20 days. So there was simply not any product left to use for another 40 days days. Would I be able to see significant results after 60 days ? In order to find out, I would have to order (6) six 1.7 fl oz containers to have enough product to use for 60 days. I would have to spend $330 which is $300 plus $30 for shipping to find out. #1) I was disappointed to pay for 3.4 fl oz or Meladerm and only receive a total of 2 fl oz #2) I was disappointed to discover the 1.7 fl oz packaging can NOT contain and properly dispense more than 1 fl oz of Meladerm. Bring your container to a packaging engineer for detailed explanation. #3) Pondering if there are problems with the 3.4 fl oz containers ? Or wondering if they even exist and only 1.7 fl oz containers are shipped out. #4) Civant needs to repackage Meladerm accordingly to reflect the proper amount of product being sold to the customer. #5) No results were seen after using for 20 days. It would cost $330 to see if there are any results after using for 60 days. Pretty expensive gamble for a product that may not work. #6) The many websites out there with positive testimonials are partnered or owned by Civant. Find independent websites were users can voice their experienced without being edited by Civant. CONCLUSION: Still waiting to see if Civant remedies re-labeling and packaging issues. Also waiting to see if the price is adjusted because no one will pay $50 for (one) 1 fl oz of product that will only last for 10 days. Will update with further info shortly.

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