Looking for the Best Skin Lightening Soap? Here Are 7 That Really Work

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If you really want to lighten your dark spots and balance out an uneven skin tone, then you need to be tackling your hyperpigmentation through every single step of your skincare routine. Applying a dark spot corrector every once in a while when you remember simply isn’t going to cut it – instead, you should be combining the use of several dedicated lightening products if you’re hoping for results ASAP.

So, let’s start with the very first step of every solid skincare regimen – cleansing. You may already own a skin whitening facial cleanser, but slathering that over the discoloration on your body will cause you to run out of product way too soon. Plus, with the skin on the body being thicker than the skin on the face, your expensive facial products won’t actually bring about a noticeable improvement to the hyperpigmentation on your body.

This is where skin whitening soaps come in. Designed to lighten and brighten the skin, the soaps that we’ve featured below not only produce fast whitening results, but they’ll also help to smooth, tone, and soften your body too.

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Koji White: Best Soap for Face and Body Hyperpigmentation

koji white soap

Koji White is a brand that produces a range of products designed to lighten hyperpigmentation and blemishes while giving the skin an instant glow. What we love about their soap collection is the fact that there are a few to choose from.

All of them work as skin lightening soaps, but they can also help with other skin concerns too, from fine lines and wrinkles to congested pores.

Key Ingredients

The main ingredient that ties all of Koji White’s soaps together is kojic acid. This is a naturally-derived ingredient that has been proven to treat all forms of hyperpigmentation, from melasma to acne scars and marks [1].

As mentioned, the best skin whitening soaps from Koji White also offer up additional benefits. There’s a formula that features collagen to provide anti-aging properties, one with charcoal to detoxify the skin, and another with glutathione to amplify the formula’s skin brightening effects. There’s also a soap with papaya extracts – papaya enzymes are known for their exfoliating properties, which will give you an instant glow.

Pros

  • There are different whitening soap formulas to choose from, which allows you to tackle other skin concerns too
  • Initial results can be seen after 2-4 weeks of regular use
  • Koji White products are not tested on animals

Cons

  • Contains added fragrance, which could cause irritation

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Kojie San Skin Lightening Soap: Lightens the Skin While Also Treating Acne

kojie san soap

Here’s another multi-tasking formula for you; the Kojie San Skin Lightening Soap. This is another product that beauty enthusiasts have been raving about, largely due to the fact that this soap helps to reduce dark spots in just one week. Even better, it targets active acne blemishes too, making it a must-have for those of you with oily skin.

Key Ingredients

Just like several of the other best skin whitening soaps we’ve featured, this formula also hinges on the whitening prowess of kojic acid.

What makes this soap stand out from the crowd is the fact that it also utilizes an exclusive method called Zero Pigment Light Technology. In simple terms, this means that the active ingredients in the soap are delivered in a way that effectively bonds them to discolored skin cells. As a result, it’s absorbed by the areas that need it at a much faster rate, which is how it’s able to produce results so quickly.

In addition to kojic acid, you’ll also find coconut oil in this formula, making it great for moisturizing and keeping the skin soft.

Pros

  • Produces results in just 7 days
  • Doesn’t contain any parabens
  • Can be safely used on every skin color

Cons

  • Some reviewers found that the soap left their sensitive skin with a temporary burning sensation

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Original Kojie San Facial Beauty Soap: Provides Before and After Brightening Results in Just 1 Week

Original kojie san facial soap

The Original Kojie San Facial Beauty Soap is very similar in formulation to the other Kojie San Soap we’ve just featured. Both are considered to be some of the best skin whitening soaps out there. However, they may not both be available in certain countries, so if you can only find this one, then go ahead and give it a try. It may not have “skin whitening soap” in its name, but it does the job just as well.

Key Ingredients

Kojic acid makes an appearance once again in this skin whitening soap, showing just how effective and popular this compound is when it comes to lightening the skin tone.

You’ll also find coconut oil in this blend, which will instantly give you glowing skin, along with tea tree oil, which is a soothing botanical that has powerful anti-inflammatory properties.

Even better, this soap has a very pleasant fragrance that makes it so enjoyable to use – it smells like fresh oranges!

Pros

  • Can produce skin whitening results in just 7 days
  • Lightens the skin while also moisturizing and soothing it
  • Can be used to treat all forms of hyperpigmentation, including age spots, melasma, and acne scars/marks

Cons

  • There are a lot of fakes out there – make sure that you purchase a genuine product by checking the scannable tag that comes with each soap

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Brilliant Skin: Reviews Show That This Soap Bar Works Wonders for Brightening the Skin Tone

Brilliant Skin

If you like to read up on product reviews when choosing the best soaps, then Brilliant Skin can’t be ignored – this is a brand with a very loyal following. It’s easy to see why – many of the skin whitening soaps out there contain kojic acid as their star ingredient. There’s nothing wrong with this – it’s a fantastic ingredient for targeting dark spots and giving the skin a radiant glow. However, if your skin is sensitive to kojic acid, then your options are limited. This is where Brilliant Skin comes in…

Key Ingredients

Brilliant Skin produces two main skin whitening soaps, with the first one featuring kojic acid. It also contains coconut oil and glycerin, making it a very hydrating formula. Even more intriguing is how this soap contains micro-beads. These have an exfoliating effect, enabling them to remove dead skin cells to reveal glowing skin.

For those of you that can’t use a kojic acid soap for whatever reason, the brand has an alternative. Their second offering is a gluta-arbutin soap. It combines glutathione, an antioxidant that has skin whitening properties, with arbutin, a natural compound that’s related to hydroquinone. Just like its chemical-based cousin, arbutin effectively inhibits melanin production to give you bright and fair skin.

Pros

  • Brilliant Skin offers two lightening formulas to choose from
  • These soaps not only lighten the skin tone but are also great for moisturizing the skin

Cons

  • Contains added fragrance, which could irritate sensitive skin

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Aspen Kay Naturals: Most Effective Skin Whitening Soap for Bleaching Acne Scars & Excess Pigment

Aspen Khay turmeric soap

We’ve featured some fantastic fairness soaps so far, but none of them have been 100% natural. In a time when consumers want to know exactly what they’re putting onto their skin, having a completely natural option is always beneficial, which is why we love the whitening soap from Aspen Kay Naturals.

Key Ingredients

This soap stands out because of how it contains only natural ingredients. Its star player is turmeric, an ingredient that has been proven to lighten the skin after just three weeks of regular use [2]. It also boasts anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties, meaning that this one ingredient has the potential to help your skin in so many ways.

In addition to organic turmeric root, this soap also contains turmeric essential oil, giving you a double dose of this powerful brightener.

There are a few other ingredients in this soap that caught our eye. From chamomile to shea butter to calendula, these botanicals are all famed for how they soothe and hydrate the skin.

To enhance this soap’s cleansing and detoxifying properties, you’ll also find Kaolin clay and French pink clay in this blend. Both are fantastic for extracting impurities, leaving you with a glowing skin tone.

Pros

  • Safe to be used on sensitive skin – it can even be used on babies!
  • Contains only natural ingredients
  • Produced in small batches to ensure quality

Cons

  • Since it doesn’t contain added fragrances, it has quite a strong and unusual herbal scent. However, this isn’t off-putting in any way

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Wonderfully Natural: Contains Ingredients That Are Safe for Dark Skin & All Skin Types

Wonderfully natural soap

Have you ever heard of African black soap? It’s a product that has received cult status in the skincare world because of how efficiently it can remove dark spots and balance out an uneven skin tone. That’s exactly what the Wonderfully Natural soap is and does. While there may be different types of African black soaps out there, this is one of the originals, making it the one to try.

Key Ingredients

The Wonderfully Natural Soap contains only natural and organic ingredients. Even better, they’re fair trade and sustainably grown, so don’t be alarmed when you see organic palm oil and organic palm kernel on the ingredient – this product only uses ingredients that are grown in a way that benefits the environment. And, when it comes to lightening and brightening, palm-derived oils are a great source of vitamin A and vitamin E, both of which target hyperpigmentation.

You’ll also find coconut oil in this blend, an ingredient that’s popular among the best skin whitening soaps.

Pros

  • Made from organic, fair-trade ingredients
  • Produced by an African-owned company that uses part of its profits to help communities in Ghana
  • Safe for use on all skin types, including sensitive skin. Can even be used on babies!

Cons

  • Some reviewers mentioned that this product doesn’t have a very pleasant fragrance

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Palmer’s: A Popular Brand Recommended for Black Spots & Brightening the Complexion

Palmers soap for dark spots

You’re probably familiar with Palmer’s – this drugstore brand is sold by retailers all over the world. There’s a reason for this – not only are Palmer’s products affordable, but they’re also effective, and their skin whitening soap is no exception.

Key Ingredients

The main whitening ingredients in this soap are vitamin E and allantoin. That said, vitamin E works much better at treating hyperpigmentation when combined with vitamin C, which, disappointingly, this product doesn’t have.

In terms of allantoin, this soothing compound has a mild exfoliating effect. It won’t strip your skin of its natural oils, but it will go a long way in leaving it looking radiant and bright.

Pros

  • Very effective at cleansing the skin
  • Contains ingredients that some of the other best skin whitening soaps don’t have

Cons

  • Could have been formulated with more skin whitening compounds

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What to Know About Kojic Acid

Most of the soaps listed above have one thing in common; they all contain Kojic acid or a related chemical. But do you know what Kojic Acid is? Do you know the role it plays in brightening your skin? Do you know it has side effects? Let’s take a deeper look at Kojic acid below.

What Is Kojic Acid

The chemical originates from the production of traditional Japanese wine called sake. It is produced from the fermentation of the wine’s rice and obtained from fungi, aspergillus oryzae. 

Kojic acid promotes the inhibition of the amino acid tyrosine, which aids melanin production in the body. Melanin is the chemical pigment in the body that gives dark colors to hair, skin, and eye. 

However, since Kojic acid inhibits the formation of melanin, it is believed that Kojic acid plays a role in skin lightening.

Although used in the food industry as a preservative, its main application is cosmetics and health products. For example, it’s found in creams, lotions, and serums. It’s also found in soaps. 

Depending on the Concentra level and purpose of use, the Kojic application is in two ways. While some are applied on the face and washed off in the case of soaps, some are allowed to get absorbed into the skin, for example, in serum.

Benefits of Kojic Acid

Kojic acid has a lot of benefits for the skin. It helps to remove dark spots, sun spots, acne, and any kind of hyperpigmentation. All these properties of Kojic acid make it suitable as an anti-aging agent.

Kojic acid also has discoloration effects. While it may not improve the thickness of the impact by scar tissue, it helps to reduce the pigmentation that comes with it, and as a matter of fact, any type of scar. This is based on its lightning effect, which makes the scar less conspicuous.

If you suffer from illnesses or health conditions such as athlete’s foot or yeast infection, Kojic acid is also thought to have some ameliorating effect.  Not only does it have some antifungal properties, but it also has some antibacterial effects by lowering the chances of developing common bacterial infections that affect your skin.

Side Effects Associated With the Use of Kojic Acid

As stated earlier, the recommended concentration of Kojic acid is one percent. So the first set of issues may arise from over-concentration of the product, which may cause skin irritation. 

Also, certain people may still experience skin irritation when using the required one percent concentration. As a result, everyone is advised to test any product containing Kojic acid on a small area of the skin before rubbing it all over.

In addition, keep in mind that long-term use of Kojic acid may cause your skin to be quickly affected by sunburn. So you should take necessary safety steps like wearing sunscreen and protective clothing.

Contact dermatitis is the most noticeable side effect of using Kojic acid. Symptoms may include redness m, itchy skin, swollen skin, and rashes. If you have sensitive skin, you should take caution when using Kojic acid-containing products. If symptoms persist, you should discontinue the product and see an expert.

Incorporating a Skin Whitening Soap into Your Skincare Routine

When it comes to the best skin whitening soaps that we’ve featured, it’s usually recommended that they’re used twice a day; once in the morning and once at night. Try to follow this as closely as you can if you want to see results in a matter of weeks.

While all of these products will still help to lighten your complexion if used once a day instead, it could take months before you notice a visible improvement.

That said, always introduce a new product to your skin gradually. Start off with once-a-day use for a week to ensure that your skin tolerates it well before increasing frequency.

FAQ:

Woman cleaning face using a beauty soap

Q: Which soap is best for skin lightening?

The best skin whitening soaps can be found listed above – Koji White is our top pick!

Q: How long does it take for Kojic soap to show results?

When used twice a day, you could see the results of a kojic soap in just one week.

Q: Are the effects of kojic acid permanent?

No, the effects of kojic acid are not permanent.

Q: How many times a week should I use kojic acid soap?

A kojic acid soap should be used once or twice a day.

Q: What will happen if you stop using Kojic?

If you stop using kojic acid, then you may notice your dark spots reappearing, while new dark spots will join them.

Q: Can I use kojic acid soap on my face everyday?

Yes, it’s safe to use kojic acid soap on your face every day.

Q: How long should you use kojic soap?

Avoid using kojic soap for longer than three months at a time.

Q: Does skin lightening soap work?

Yes, skin lightening soaps are very effective and work quickly!

Q: How use kojic acid soap for best results?

Apply your kojic acid soap to your skin and lather it up. Massage the foam into any discolored parts of your skin before rinsing off.

Q: Which soap is the best to lighten skin?

The best soaps for lightening the skin can be found above.

Q: Will kojic acid damage my skin?

No, kojic acid doesn’t cause any skin damage, although it could irritate those with hypersensitive skin.

Q: Is glutathione suitable for sensitive skin?

Yes, glutathione can be safely used on sensitive skin.

Q: What cleanser products will a dermatologist recommend for hyperpigmentation?

If your hyperpigmentation is severe, a dermatologist may prescribe cleansing products that contain high concentrations of ingredients that cannot be purchased over-the-counter.

Q: Is kojic acid a chemical?

Kojic acid is a natural chemical.

Q: Will a goat milk lotion help to care for my skin?

Yes, goat milk is an amazing ingredient for the skin. Not only will it moisturize to keep your skin soft, but it also contains lactic acid, which has an exfoliating effect.

Q: Does Amazon offer free shipping for skin whitening soaps?

There are many skin whitening soaps available on Amazon, and some of them come with free shipping.

Conclusion: Which Is the Best Skin Lightening Soap for You?

We love each of these skin whitening soaps for various reasons, so take your time figuring out which one/s you want to invest in. Whether you’re looking to fade dark spots while smoothing away wrinkles or you need to lighten sun damage-induced discoloration while hydrating dry skin, you’ll no doubt find a soap on this list that can help to give you that even and healthy complexion you’ve been seeking.

References

[1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0753332218367477
[2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0944711316302549?via%3Dihub

Avatar for Megan Foley

Megan has been a freelance writer and editor since 2016. In that time, she’s penned a diverse collection of articles for online publication, with a focus on skincare and beauty. From in-depth product reviews to concise marketing content, Megan is passionate about developing content that informs, entertains, and inspires.