Vitamin C 2.00%, Vitamin E 1%, Glutathione 0.10%, Aqua, Ammonium Lauryl Sulphate, Triethanolamine Lauryl Sulfate, Glycerin, Aloe Vera Extract, Ascorbic Acid 2 Glucoside, Decyl Glucoside, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Polyquaternium-7, Olive Oil PEG 7 Esters, PEG 12 Dimethicone, PEG 40 Hydrogenated castor oil, DMDM Hydantoin, Methylisothiazolinone and Methylchloroisothiazolinone, L-Glutathione, Organic Orange Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, & Fragrance.Afrinn

How Afrinn works

Glutathione applied to the skin acts as an antioxidant and interferes with tyrosinase, shifting melanin production toward the lighter pheomelanin rather than the darker eumelanin. Used topically its effect is gradual and confined to the area applied. It is worth being clear that the injectable use widely promoted in India for skin lightening is a different matter entirely -- that use is unapproved and CDSCO has warned against it. Vitamin C works on pigmentation in two ways at once. It interferes with tyrosinase, the enzyme that begins melanin production, so less new pigment is made; and it is a powerful antioxidant, neutralising the free radicals ultraviolet light generates in skin. It is also required for collagen synthesis -- the enzymes that cross-link collagen cannot function without it, which is why vitamin C appears in anti-ageing formulations as well as brightening ones. Plain ascorbic acid oxidises quickly, which is why stabilised derivatives such as 3-O-ethyl ascorbic acid are used. Putting them in one formulation means the routine stays short, which is the main reason people keep to it.