Quick Look: Vaseline Healthy White Instant Fair Lotion

I'm very skeptical when it comes to whitening products. Seeing that there are hoards of Pinays who are looking for legit lighteners, it pains me to catch wind of some products being marketed at a premium price for their so-called fair-making prowess but aren't actually effective. So when I saw the brand new Vaseline Healthy White Instant Fair Lotion TV commercial, I wanted to personally test it to believe it. Here's what the bottle looks like and what it claims to do:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="420"] Ambitious, but is it effective?[/caption]

Earlier this week, when I was at my favorite Watson's branch, I spied the new Vaseline display on one of the lotion shelves. I asked if a tester was available, but there wasn't any. Lucky for me, another branch had a fresh bottle for those who wanted to try. Check out my before and after photos:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="360"] Before: The lotion is on the bottom arm (my left arm), unblended[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="360"] After: Once blended[/caption]

*Sorry for the fneh photos. We were sort of in a hurry, afraid the stoic-looking guard would come over to admonish the photo-taking.

I have skin on the fairer side, but I'd like you to decide for yourselves if it actually worked on my left arm. What I did notice was that, after blending the lotion in, my skin had a slight sheen to it that caught the light. (Nothing shimmery though, so don't be afraid of looking like a disco ball.) Maybe that's what Vaseline means by "microreflectors" There's an illusion of fairness from the sheen, sort of like how Prtty Peaush is supposed to give a quick glow. But if you're looking for a dramatic instant whitening effect, you may be disappointed.

According to Vaseline's Facebook page, the lotion SRP is Php110.00 for 100mL, Php190.00 for 200mL, and Php299.00 for 350mL. Yeah, that's usually the price range of drugstore whitening lotions.

*First photo from Vaseline FB page.