[blahman123]

i got this from wikipedia.com

"Hydroquinone can be an unstable ingredient in cosmetic formulations. When exposed to air or sunlight it can turn a strange shade of brown. Therefore, when you are considering a hydroquinone product, it must be packaged in a non-transparent container that minimizes light and air exposure. Hydroquinone products packaged in jars are not recommended because they become ineffective shortly after opening."


the jar of hydroquinone that i had was definitively exposed to air every time i opened it. is this why it didnt do anything for me? does anyone know any good hydroquinone brands to buy?

 

[Freddy]

HQ should come in the form of a tube. It usually does; unless of course you buy some cheap chinese crap, in which case its garbage either way.

 

[BeautyNut]

Can someone PLEASE tell me where I can purchase a 'good' form of HQ?
Can you get it from a store or online?

-OR-

I read here that it was going to be removed from the market?
http://www.skincaretalk.com/skin-lig...roquinone.html

Please give me some information on this product.

Thank you.

 

[Natasha09]

i would advise that you get hydroquinone from the dermatologist. [if you have very uneven skin] it comes in a tube so the air wont hit it.

 

[ninasky]

Yes, I agree with Freddy - never get HQ which comes in a jar. It should not be brown either. It needs to be in an airtight tube/container or opaque pump bottle.

 

[ondine]

Freddy is spot on. There's a Canadian source peddling brown disgustingly murky HQ. Just today when I emailed them, they tried to tell me that their HQ was brown because it 'had taken on the colour of another ingredient in the cream'.

They refuse to acknowledge that after being exposed to air in those dumb jars it becomes inert! The source is:

m o n o b e n z o n e d o t n e t

avoid them like the plague!

 

[GoddessOfEarth]

I've had hydroquinone in the tube go bad as well as hydroquinone in the jar. Not the current ones I'm using. It has a possibility of going bad, regardless of jar or tube, if you don't use it up in time.

What does the average tube, jar, or bottle last? A week, 1/2 week, or month? That's plenty of time. That'd be like saying hydroquinone doesn't work, period. When it's on your skin, it's exposed anyway. My Ambi's in the tube. My Nadinola's in the jar.


GoddessOfEarth

 

[ondine]

The kind of air exposure it gets is different when it is in a tube. No legitimate sources sell HQ4% in jars. It CAN go bad in the tube if it is kept past its best before date or the cap is left off for prolongued periods. For my, 1 tube lasts a month or so leaving little chance for the product to become tainted. Once you apply it to your skin, you use a small amt & rub it in. Shortly thereafter, it is absorbed: unlike sunscreen, HQ doesn't sit on the sirface. In wide mouthed jars where it gets a lot of air exposure whenever it opens, the HQ taints & turns brown. At that point, it is no longer effective (my pharmacist explained this to me). The creams with HQ as an ingredient among other ingredients often contains something to diminish this effect of light. These additives, though, diminish the effectiveness of the HQ. THese jar products often contain other lightening agents as well. If the Nadinola is working well for you & you like it, then more power to you. It may benefit others as well. Just be cautious buying 4% HQ packaged this way.

 

[GoddessOfEarth]

The tube that turned brown was Fair and White Whitenizer Gel Cream. The jar was Palmer's skin lightening ... something. I don't trust any of that expiration date stuff. I go by experience. The Nadinola is 3%.

 

[ondine]

Whatever works for you. I've never seen nor tried Nadinola.