[lighterrr]

So I have been here a month and a half, and come to see the ugly side of skin lightening products.

Some of these products often discussed are peddled by greedy, conniving members who created the websites, products, and reviews right here to cash in on those of us prone, out of our desperation for a quick solution, to fall for the professional image, raving reviews, and alluring promises. That's why they are priced so expensive like $100 5X gel or $100 10X gel, because here in our questions we describe what we are looking for and spend so much time talking about it, that it must be so valuable, the answers, the solutions by way of specific product recommendations. Do you agree with me?
By the way, $300 on makari got me nothing but awful breakouts for the past month. I've learned a valuable lesson from my new experience here. I'm going to save my money for school and other needs, instead of waste it through unbridled vanity on some of these expensive, spiteful, shady, products.

Thanks so much the genuine people here including Golden sis, Maharani, Eggo, lilgreg, artlady, Clough!

Well no need to leave the forum just be more aware of the scammers and in my expereince the cheap hq based otc creams work the best

[MAHARANI]

Golden_Boy,

I know exactly what you mean. I could have flown around the world several times with what I have spent over the years on useless, hyped up and overpriced rubbish! There have been a few "gems" over the years, but they have been the ones that have suddenly disappeared, for whatever reason. And funnily enough, they have always been the more reasonably priced. I wish I had your guts to say that I am giving up on this skin lightening lark and spending my money on more productive and fruitful pursuits. However clearly, I am more vain than you LOL.

Please don't totally leave. As you say, it is difficult to work out who is being genuine and who is here for their own means and it's people like you with your very honest opinions who will be missed.!

[lighterrr]

Maharani what you using now?
You sound like a lightening veteran like myself

[MAHARANI]

Lighterr,

Have been using F & F along with makari. Both these products have given me good results in the past but at the moment Results are just OK. Last year I was much much lighter with other products but am unable to get hold of what I really want, which is dermabright by Rosa skin care.

Have also just received Tonique, but there seems to be a lot of drama around it, but will start to use shortly. Not necessarily expecting great results as a lot of these overpriced and much hyped products just DON'T do what they promise. I wish there were a law against false promises. I know that everyone has differing results but at prices like F & F and Tonique, surely it should be comparable to what say a good HQ product should produce. I would happily pay good money for something that really works.

[sweetcaroline]

Golden_Boy,
There have been a few "gems" over the years, but they have been the ones that have suddenly disappeared, for whatever reason. And funnily enough, they have always been the more reasonably priced.

lighterr,
Have been using F & F along with makari. Both these products have given me good results in the past but at the moment Results are just ok. Last year I was much much lighter with other products but am unable to get hold of what I really want, which is dermabright by Rosa skin care.
Have also just received Tonique, but there seems to be a lot of drama around it, but will start to use shortly. Not necessarily expecting great results as a lot of these overpriced and much hyped products just DON'T do what they promise. I wish there were a law against false promises. I know that everyone has differing results but at prices like F & F and Tonique, surely it should be comparable to what say a good HQ product should produce. I would happily pay good money for something that really works.

Maharani that is what these peddlers like f&f and tonique are feeding off, our willingness to pay a lot for something that promises really works. I am also a veteran and in all these year for me the only "gems" have been the original herbalinn formula and that lovely smelling rosa dermabright. Too bad the most cost-effective have become the most elusive.

f&f, tonique, makari can't possibly cost around $100-$200 to make a jar of cream and there is sufficient evidence to conclude they don't even contain what they claim to do, if you look closely at their ingredients lists, it's clear they are homemade and including the ingredients lists were made up. You have to look closely enough then you will see.

5XF Intensive Skin Whitening Gel Ingredients:
Pure Aloe Vera Extract, Purified Sea Water, Sorbitol, Glycereth-26, Corpus Crispus, White Tea Extract, Allatoin, Lemon Extract, White Ginger Extract, Carbomer –940, Wild Chamomile, Alpha Arbutin, SepiWhite Msh, Glycolic, Lactic and kojic Acids, tamarind extract, Malic Acid, Apple extract, Horse Chestnut, imidazolidinyl Urea, methyparaben, Fragrance. Sepiwhite MSH (Undecylenoylphenyl alanine) is a patented skin-whitening product of Seppic. Patent Numbers: WO03061768, FR2835252, EP1471881, US20051181192, JP2005521658.

New Extra Stength! Tonique 10x Intense Whitening Gel
purified sea water, aloe vera gel, ginko biloba extract, ginseng extract, Sepiwhite MSH, sepicalm VG, Sepinov EMT 10, extracts of watermelon, cucumber, mulberry, marigold & mulethi root, alpha arbutin, lactic acid, glycolic acid, vegetable glycerin, vitamin E, propylene glycol, natural fragrance



It's pretty obvious they are both just competing brands, versions of the same way overpriced, misrepresented long made-up ingredients list crap.

So the long and the short of skin lightening products, which Golden_Boy seems to have learned, is that something really works would not be overpriced. Because when it works we would naturally return to buy it.

It couldn't be more obvious f&f and tonique are poised to get big money from each one-time ignorant buyer. Those who say they work, you will usually find are also using other strong product which really work, like .1% retin-A, anyway.

[lighterrr]

maharani that is what these peddlers like f&f and tonique are feeding off of, our willingness to pay alot for something that promises really works. i am also a veteran and in all these year for me the only "gems" have been the original herbalinn formula and that lovely smelling rosa dermabright. too bad the most cost-effective have become the most elusive.

f&f, tonique, makari can't possibly cost around $100-$200 to make a jar of cream and there is sufficient evidence to conclude they don't even contain what they claim to do, if you look closely at their ingredients lists, it's clear they are homemade and including the ingredients lists were made up. you have to look closely enough then you will see.

5XF Intensive Skin Whitening Gel Ingredients:
Pure Aloe Vera Extract, Purified Sea Water, Sorbitol, Glycereth-26, Corpus Crispus, White Tea Extract, Allatoin, Lemon Extract, White Ginger Extract, Carbomer –940, Wild Chamomile, Alpha Arbutin, SepiWhite Msh, Glycolic, Lactic and kojic Acids, tamarind extract, Malic Acid, Apple extract, Horse Chestnut, imidazolidinyl Urea, methyparaben, Fragrance. Sepiwhite MSH (Undecylenoylphenyl alanine) is a patented skin-whitening product of Seppic. Patent Numbers: WO03061768, FR2835252, EP1471881, US20051181192, JP2005521658.

New Extra Stength! Tonique 10x Intense Whitening Gel
purified sea water, aloe vera gel, ginko biloba extract, ginseng extract, Sepiwhite MSH, sepicalm VG, Sepinov EMT 10, extracts of watermelon, cucumber, mulberry, marigold & mulethi root, alpha arbutin, lactic acid, glycolic acid, vegetable glycerin, vitamin E, propylene glycol, natural fragrance



it's pretty obvious they are both just competing brands, versions of the same way overpriced, misrepresented long made-up ingredients list crap.

so the long and the short of skin lightening products, which Golden_Boy seems to have learned, is that something really works would not be overpriced. because when it works we would naturally return to buy it.

it couldn't be more obvious f&f and tonique are poised to get big money from each one-time ignorant buyer. those who say they work, you will usually find are also using other strong product which really work, like .1% retin-A, anyway.

Yes I used dermabright when I was 15 and it worked great, but we still got it otc in Canada at all the black hair stores, if you want I can have my sis send you some, right now I'm using hq and I missed my own sefi white that I use on my legs:D

[Golden_Girl]

All so true. You all have good points. Companies taking advantage of what is in demand, whether they actually work or not. They could honestly care less about us, they only care about their pockets. Their products actually costs no more than what a good brand of lotion would cost, it's a billion dollar industry and they are all willing to rip people off by any means necessary... especially the ones who market their products as "natural" are among the greediest.

[Golden_Girl]

Last year I was much much lighter with other products but am unable to get hold of what I really want, which is dermabright by Rosa skin care.

Maharani are one of these it? It must work really good.
http://www.rosaskincare.com/
https://rosaskincare.plimus.com/jsp/...BankTransfer=N
http://critiques.she.com/beauty/prod...g-serum/16136/

[Golden_Boy]

Well I am still here sis, guys, just discouraged at all the unofficial fighting going on here between Tonque and Fair & Flawful, of the most greedy, I tried them years ago when their gel did contain what seemed a strong acid, and I believe hydroquinone, now they have turned even greedier and it is so true sis they are saying their products are "natural" when their main ingredient seems to be Sepiwhite, there is nothing natural about it, undecylenoyl phenylalanine is synthetic! And 50% identical to the artificial sweetener, aspartame, also a phenylalanine.

And cancer experts say the phenylalanine molecule is the building block of all cancers.

http://www.wnho.net/1976_groliers_encyclopedia.htm

Both SepiWhite & NutraSweet are 50% Phenylalanine.

So I am strictly avoiding sepiwhite and I will heed SC's warning that high price tags are generally a sign of greed.

And spitefulness.

[Golden_Girl]

True. Undecylenoyl phenylalanine is synthetic. You can always go to Making Cosmetics, Skin Actives, or any other good place that sells lightening active ingredients and make your own at the percentage that you want. I get tiered of all the bickering too, as it is fruitless and only cause distraction of the real reason of why we should be here, to lighten our skin. Bro don't be discouraged.

[Golden_Boy]

true. undecylenoyl phenylalanine is synthetic. you can always go to Making Cosmetics, Skin Actives, or anyother good place that sells lightening active ingredients and make your own at the percentage that you want. I get tiered of all the bickering too, as it is fruitless and only cause distraction of the real reason of why we should be here, to lighten our skin. bro don't be discouraged.

Thanks sis, will try not to be discouraged!
I Just remembered, F&F 5X was $160 last month when I looked, now it is $100 and I believe will probably drop lower, it seems like bickering between F&F and Tonique is also mainly a pricing war of sorts. I still don't get it, who in their right mind would pay $160 for a jar of Sepi gel?

On Skin Care Talk the most frequent poster stated that it probably costs $5 to make their $160 jar of gel, so those websites MakingCosmetics and Skin Actives are so much better than rewarding con-artists amongs us, yes we are here to lighten, unfortunately some of us are being conned.

[lighterrr]

Thanks sis, will try not to be discouraged!
I Just remembered, F&F 5X was $160 last month when I looked, now it is $100 and I believe will probably drop lower, it seems like bickering between F&F and Tonique is also mainly a pricing war of sorts. I still don't get it, who in their right mind would pay $160 for a jar of Sepi gel?

On Skin Care Talk the most frequent poster stated that it probably costs $5 to make their $160 jar of gel, so those websites MakingCosmetics and Skin Actives are so much better than rewarding con-artists amongs us, yes we are here to lighten, unfortunately some of us are being conned.

Yep good old CAPITALISM at its best, isn/t this land grand. Everything we do is a virtual rip off, let me name a few

1.) go to the mall buy clothes from GAP, who gets it made in India or China for dirt cheap and sells it to us @ a ridiculous mark-up
2.) go to bank get a mortgage, uy the time you finish paying it off you could have have 3 houses, from the interest alone they charge

Where all products of our societies and these vendors just see a way to exploit us more:(

[Golden_Girl]

Thanks sis, will try not to be discouraged!
I Just remembered, F&F 5X was $160 last month when I looked, now it is $100 and I believe will probably drop lower, it seems like bickering between F&F and Tonique is also mainly a pricing war of sorts. I still don't get it, who in their right mind would pay $160 for a jar of Sepi gel?

On Skin Care Talk the most frequent poster stated that it probably costs $5 to make their $160 jar of gel, so those websites MakingCosmetics and Skin Actives are so much better than rewarding con-artists amongs us, yes we are here to lighten, unfortunately some of us are being conned.

So my guess is right. $5 products being marketed at high prices. Even a product priced at $40 or $50 is way overboard, I sometimes think what I could have done with the money I spent w/ makari within those 5 or 6 months.

Lightening companies should take off the "0s" and sell it for what it's actually worth. I could never make a purchase so high for only an ounce or 2. Only way for me to spend that much is if I purchased in bulk and had enough to last me for a good 6 months to a year. Well, for all I'm concerned, they all can keep dropping those prices until it hits at most $17 or less before I consider ordering.



Lighterrr, you are 100% correct. That's the word, Capitalism w/ a capital "C"... I always hated capitalism :( , because it's always about someone's greed and what they can con out of people. I always said to myself I would be the one to go to China and India and just buy to my heart's content of all of the name brand clothes manufactured at $1-5!! Well, I haven't reached that far yet, but in Ethiopia I purchased in bulk at the outdoor markets buying loads of namebrand clothes and shoes sent from china for about $1-5 actually! I was so happy... but I had to speak straight amharic, no english.

[Golden_Boy]

so my guess is right. $5 products being marketed at high prices. even a product priced at $40 or $50 is way overboard, i sometimes think what i could have done with the money i spent w/ makari within those 5 or 6 months.

lightening companies should take off the "0s" and sell it for what it's actually worth. i could never make a purchase so high for only an ounce or 2. Only way for me to spend that much is if I purchased in bulk and had enough to last me for a good 6 months to a year. well, for all i'm concerned, they all can keep dropping those prices until it hits at most $17 or less before i consider ordering.

I'm with you on that 100%, sis!
$40-$200 for a barely $5 jar of homemade basement or kitchen sink cream from their deceptive websites is pathetic.
We need to band together, send a stronger message we won't fall, any longer, for outrageous, overinflated prices and the constant plugging, only for the scandalous truth to be dug up much later on after wallets, bank, credit accounts are cleaned out.

Enough is enough!

[sweetcaroline]

We need to band together, send a stronger message we won't fall, any longer, for outrageous, overinflated prices and the constant plugging, only for the scandalous truth to be dug up much later on after wallets, bank, credit accounts are cleaned out.

Enough is enough!

These vendors including Fair Flawless, Tonique, Funkymomma have confirmed their daily presence on these forums, and confirmed they abuse the forums by peddling and providing false info here.

We as members just as well have every right to question all their false claims, and expose their trickery, Golden!

[lighterrr]

these vendors including Fair Flawless, Tonique, Funkymomma have confirmed their daily presence on these forums, and confirmed they abuse the forums by peddling and providing false info here.

we as members just as well have every right to question all their false claims, and expose their trickery, Golden!

Well I agree is very obvious who is supporting tonique on the site? I think that person should face the music, and they should not be excempted.

[Golden_Girl]

In my opinion ALL of the prices should be greatly reduced. I'm tiered of the guilty parties lingering around to market... all of this is giving me a headache. This week has taken so much rest from me. It is possible to have many of them to drop their prices, but the challenge comes with majority of customers and potential customers who makes purchase to complain, boycot, petition, and so forth in order to make the prices to take a major drop to a less offensive price. More than the 25+ members here though, there would have to be hundredas of thousands... lol.

[MAHARANI]

yes i used dermabright when i was 15 and it worked great, but we still got it otc in Canada at all the black hair stores, if you want i can have my sis send you some, right now im using hq and i missed my own sefi white that i use on my legs:D

lighterrr, you don't mean dermabright by Rosa skin care do you ?

This is what it looks like

Order | Rosa Skincare

[MAHARANI]

If it is, you need to let me know!!

[MAHARANI]

maharani that is what these peddlers like f&f and tonique are feeding off of, our willingness to pay alot for something that promises really works. i am also a veteran and in all these year for me the only "gems" have been the original herbalinn formula and that lovely smelling rosa dermabright. too bad the most cost-effective have become the most elusive.

it couldn't be more obvious f&f and tonique are poised to get big money from each one-time ignorant buyer. those who say they work, you will usually find are also using other strong product which really work, like .1% retin-A, anyway.

sweetcaroline, those two products (herbalinn & Rosa) are exactly my best ever products!

As for F & F & tonique, this is why it is so important that people share their experience. I know we are going to get those marketing people coming here to delibrately mislead us, but hopefully we wll be able to see our way to the truth. I give a vow now that whatever I say will be the TRUTH the whole TRUTH and nothing but the TRUTH. I will say that F&F has worked for me, but is not so fantatstic that it warrants that price. In addition to the fact that it does not ALWAYS work. The whole truth.