Another site to avoid

ondine · 05-31-2009, 12:41 AM

Please do not buy anything whatsoever from Herbalinn. Their product claims to contain something which does not exist! There is NO molecule called 'benzolarbutin' or whatever the heck they call it. They also claim to be 'Ayurvedic'. This is misleading many Asian/Indian people just like the word 'natural' in the West. Their site shows an image of Aishwarya Rai, the pale blue eyed Indian actress. She does not promote, use nor condone bleaching creams & recently refused to be the spokesmodel for L'Oreal's latest so-called 'whitener'. Do not be fooled!

**gymrat** · 05-31-2009, 01:06 AM

Ondine at work!!

Good job Ondine-

Laila · 05-31-2009, 01:55 AM

Thanks for being so vigilant, ondine!

ondine · 05-31-2009, 02:42 PM

You're welcome, guys. I just get so angry at sites & products that try to profit off of people's desperation. This is why it is important to:

1. Know what you want to achieve re skin lightening
2. Be honest with yourself re your motives. Are they realistic? Sane & healthy?
3. Do NOT be desperate. If you feel that way, skin colour is NOT the issue but something deeper is going on.
4. Do your reaearch. Check scientific articles (Google Scholar is a good startig point) will reveal what substances have been proven to lighten, whiten & depigment skin with a reasonable degree of safety & effectiveness when used correctly.
5. Be committed & patient: trying to speed the process by using dangerous concentrations or applying too often will only result in damage. FORGET about using 20 different lightening products all at once.
6. Seek out support (objective opinions help & others' wisdom is good to have)

These are the steps I took back in Nov08 when I began seriously contemplating lightening my skin. By Jan, I was ready to begin & I haven't looked back. These deceptive sites are raking in billions of dollars for cheaply made substandard products. the desperate lighteners often are those same people on a stringent budget who can least afford to lose money.

Tee · 07-22-2009, 02:09 PM

thanks!

GoddessOfEarth · 07-22-2009, 02:25 PM

You are pulling up the old posts. Lol! This Herball Inn has been known for being a mess yearssssss ago. Good thing you brought it up. People have mentioned the use of them and mercury. Herbal Mercury anyone?

Eta:MY 100TH POST!

ondine · 07-22-2009, 03:42 PM

Hurray for post # 100! Good for you!

I pulled it up because I read a recent post somewhere here from someone considering buying the stuff! MERCURY!

HOLY CRAP! That is literally a poison. There are still occasional posts from those thinking of buying that Nur76 stuff. Another product with so-called 'secret ingredients'

It is hard keeping the warning present in people's consciousness.

Lajdnie · 07-23-2009, 11:21 AM

Just thought I'd point out that the Herbalinn who did sell products with Mercury is completely different to this Herbalinn. The ones who sold mercury were based in the United Arab Emirates, whilst this Herbalinn is American-based (supposedly in New York). They are two different Herbalinn's.

ondine · 07-23-2009, 03:06 PM

How do 2 unconnected companies manage to operate under the identical trade name & BOTH sell skin lightener? Quite the coincidence...

Lajdnie · 07-23-2009, 04:17 PM

It's possible it really is just entirely coincidence. "Herbal Inn" is quite a popular company name. I've noticed it's mostly Easterners who use this name in their businesses, though, to add an "exotic" and esoteric appeal to the Western eye. I know a few Herbalinn's which are Chinese, the old Herbalinn was Arabic, and the current Herbalinn is Indian (in theme and management, in any case).

ondine · 07-23-2009, 07:41 PM

WEll, I'm going to avoid the all.

The Herbalinn using Aishwarya's image w/o her permission & w/o paying her is doing something shameful & you should see the list of conditions they imply their formula is 'good for' (whatever that really means!)

grechen · 11-09-2009, 07:06 PM

I just ordered a "free" jar from the website herbalinn.com

There is also herbal-inn.com and herbalinncalifornia.com but they are probably not affiliated, probably others

tennisfan · 11-09-2009, 09:52 PM

Ladjnie - sometimes the things you say are rather appalling.. Now Indians and Pakis are hte same ? you want them to be the same whenever there is criticism coming their way dont you ?

Current Herbalinn is Pakistani run. Not Indian.

And for hte earlier herbalinns.. FYI.. herbal therapy originated in INDIA with the Brahmins ... not Arabia, Venezuela or any other place otherwise.

ondine · 11-09-2009, 10:42 PM

I still don't see where anything that was said was 'apalling'. If anything, there was perhaps an honest mistake in citing a product's country of origin. Be that as it may, the company (whether they come from Poughkeepsie or the dark side of the moon) is Dodgy. They make extravagant & unsubstantiated claims for their product. They used Aishwarya Rai's image as an alleged user & spokesmodel for the product w/o her permission!

Herbal therapy is an indigenous human practice. Before conventional orthodox medicine, humans the world over sought cures for whatever ailed them in the flora & fauna in their respective environments. While Ayurvedic medicine did originate in India, the Chinese, Native Americans & every other place where humans are to be found have some form of herbal medicine. As with 'orthodox phararmaceutical' medicines, not all so-called 'herbal' concoctions are safe & effective. As things stand now, there is very little oversight in the 'natural' supplements & cosmetics industries which has left the public to the mercy of manufacturers & vendors who can make whatever claims they choose. Typically, you get something like "This or that herb is said to be good for________ or is believed to be beneficial for_________ or 'stimulates________" Said by whom? Believed by whom? How, too, is a person to know whether or not their kidneys need 'stimulating'?

Herbal Inn Ayurvedic Compounding

The latest version of their site features a photo ripped off from an ad that was originally by a cosmetics giant (L'oreal, I think...). Gone is Aish. They list their ingredients & claim that the cream is 50% 'actives' BUT every ingredient is included in a 2% concentration! What are they doing? Please don't be duped by this nonsense. 2% aloe vera is NOT a lightening agent.

Eternal · 11-09-2009, 11:00 PM

Thanks for the lookout. Herbal Inn has had a bad reputation for so long. It's good to warn others so they will not invest their time, money, and skin with this company.

Grechen are you going to have your product tested for any mercury or other adulterated ingredients? Please just be cautious.