All About Skin Lightening: Product Review - Vichy Bi-White Reveal Double Corrective Whitening Essence

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Product Review - Vichy Bi-White Reveal Double Corrective Whitening Essence

I feel like I just hit the jackpot. I've been hearing about the newly formulated Bi-White line (Bi-White Reveal) but I wasn't too sure if I was going to purchase it due a somewhat satisfactory experience with the original Bi-White line.

Well, let's just say I haven't been too happy with my skin lately. I am so close to my goal in terms of my skin tone but I have been stagnant for months. The Neovadiol is alright - but it is very mild. I needed an actual lightening product. I haven't used one in a long time. So...I decided 2 weeks ago to purchase the Bi White Reveal essence at my local Shoppers Drug Mart. And low and behold...I am in love!

This product is fantastic! It has the same 30ml metal tube design as the previous Bi-White serum which keeps the product fresh and stable. The best aspect about it is the newly formulated ingredient list. The product utlizies Ceramide White and LHA (exfoliator). The product is oil-free (yay!), semi-matte and does not aggravate my sensitive skin or acne.

Most importantly it works! I have been using it for JUST 2 weeks and my skin is looking beautiful. Radiance, bright, light and more even than I can remember. It also seems to have an instant luminous effect (a pearl like one. Don't worry -- it is not shimmer or glimmer! It is just a subtle glow it gives to the skin. Perhaps due to the micro-exfoliation from the salicylic acid and other AHA's present).

The ingredients have proven skin lighteners. The product glides on beautifully and dries semi-matte. Can be worn under sunscreen and at night as a very mild exfoliation treatment. The fragrance is not at all bothersome and fades in a matter of minutes.

I will update you guys later on this one. I am so happy with it - I haven't liked a skin lightening serum in awhile. Let' s hope this one gets my face and neck to the same color as the rest of me.

UPDATE (01/04/2010): Still using this and liking it. It's very mild, because it doesn't contain pure L-Ascorbic Acid, instead a synthetic form (ascorbyl glucoside). I love the way it makes my skin instantly even and brighter, and it works well under my sunscreen during the day. Saw some fading of acne marks and people definitley comment on the glow and radiance of my skin since I've been using this.

Rating: 9/10

Ingredients: Aqua/Water, Cyclohexasiloxane, glycerin, ascorbyl glucoase, caprylic triglyceride, titanium dioxide, PEG-100 Stearate, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Stearic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Mica, Glyceryl Stearrate, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice Root Extract), Dimethiconol, Silicia, Sodium Citrate, Salicylic Acid, Cyclopentasiloxane, aluminium hydroxide, phenoxyethanol, tocopherol, chlorphenesin, disodium EDTA, isopropyl lauroryl sarcosinate, laureth-7, capryloyl salicylic acid, citric acid, hydroypalmitoyl sphinganine, xanthan gum, cetyl alcohol, polyacrylamide, butylene glycol, parfum.

Labels: melanin, recommendations, review, skin lightening

38 Comments:

Anonymous said...: where can i purchase this?; October 9, 2009 at 12:09 PM
Mileena said...: Hi! I live in Toronto, Canada and the entire Vichy Bi White line is sold here in the major drugstores like Shoppers Drug Mart, London Drugs.

But elsewhere, I'm sure it is available wherever Vichy products are sold. Online you can get it here: https://www.mypharmacy.com.sg/ShopFront/ProductPage.aspx?ProdSKU=998260429&CatID=281

There are plenty of other places online to get it. Ebay has a few for cheaper prices. But honestly it is well worth it. I'm going to update soon because the results have only gotten better. Definitley willing to shell out another $50.00 bucks for another one.

=); October 9, 2009 at 7:49 PM
Mileena said...: http://www.facial-shop.com/goods.php?id=2948

is another popular, well reputed online site to get it from as well.; October 9, 2009 at 7:51 PM
Anonymous said...: ouch. costy. but will give it a try. thank you very much. how much does a tube last?; October 10, 2009 at 6:13 PM
Mileena said...: Your welcome! I agree that it's way over priced. The whole Bi White line goes on sale every summer online as well as in stores. But now it's returned to the original price.

Still I think it's a good investment because it works. One tube is about 30mL and honestly it lasts for 3-4 months (it's the same size as the old Bi White serum which I used and lasted for months). I've been using it just a little over 4 weeks and I have about 90% left. A little goes along way.

<3; October 11, 2009 at 10:06 AM
Anonymous said...: oooy,thanks very much. <3s; October 12, 2009 at 3:52 PM
Anonymous said...: heyyyy, how are you? just wanted to say that im finally on the verge on buying this product and i wanted to ask you how's it going for yah?; October 27, 2009 at 7:11 PM
Mileena said...: Hi! I'm doing great. How are you?

I'm still using the Vichy Bi White and still really liking it. It's really gentle, so the results are slowly but surely showing. My skin is really soft, clear and radiant looking. I'm wearing it underneath my sunscreen in the daytime.

<3; October 27, 2009 at 11:02 PM
Anonymous said...: Hi Mileena,
i have oily skin will this product break me out. Is it ok to use for compination skin and someone with pores that get clogged easly?

thanks; November 5, 2009 at 6:07 PM
Mileena said...: Hey!

Actually this product works great for oily or normal skin types. Personally I have very acne-prone, oily skin and I have no trouble using this.

The older version of Bi White was troublesome because it wasn't oil-free. This version (the double reveal) is oil-free, has silica (oil absorber) and has a small percentage of salicylic acid (BHA) which is great at clearing pores. The product does also act as a mild exfoliator because of the acid in it.

=); November 5, 2009 at 6:36 PM
Anonymous said...: hello mileena i am a member of bright skin forum, n i have been using sure white gel for a while its good lightening agent but it cloged my pores even though its a gel do you think that this newer version of Bi White will not break me out and clog my pores?; November 10, 2009 at 2:31 PM
Mileena said...: Hi!

Everybody's skin reacts differently to products, but generally speaking this new version of Bi White is specifically formulated for sensitive skin types that are prone to clogged pores.

I'm prone as well, and this product has mild exfoliatiing properties (LHA, Salicylic acid) so it can actually help with acne to a small degree. It won't replace an acne treatment but you probably dont have to worry about this product clogging your pores.

Just a question - are you using retinoids or any AHA's to help your skin? I found after using retinoids (Retin-A) my skin was able to tolerate more products.

But definitley the Bi White Reveal is great for acne prone, clog prone skin types.; November 10, 2009 at 3:08 PM
Anonymous said...: no i am not using any AHAs or retinoid is there a good product with a high amount of retinoid without any prescription?; November 12, 2009 at 12:01 PM
Mileena said...: Yeah. Avene Diacneal is really good. Depending on where you live, it is sold at most drugstores. If not, you can order it from here: www.skincarerx.com, or dermstore.com

Some of the Neutrogena retinol products are not that bad. Their intensive wrinkle treatment is semi-good (not as good as Avene).

You don't have to use a retinoid, but I just recommend it because of all the benefits it has the for the skin. =D; November 12, 2009 at 12:23 PM
Anonymous said...: I'm looking for a sunscreen with Vit C, but Vichy Bi-White Reveal's UV Fluid SPF 40 doesn't seem to have Vit C in it. Do you have any recommendations? Thanks.; November 25, 2009 at 5:33 PM
Mileena said...: Hi!

Unfortunatley there aren't many sunscreens that come with the correct form of Vitamin C built in. There used to be one that was really great called La Roche Posay Active C XL Anti-aging SPF 15 but it has been discontinued. I don't know why, it was a really good two-in-one product.

There are a few out there. I found one here, never tried it personally so cannot comment on it's effectiveness:

MD SKincare Water Resistant Sunscreen SPF 30
http://health-beauty.pricegrabber.com/sun-protection-tanning/MD-Skincare-Water-Resistant-Sunscreen-Vitamin-SPF/m723065991.html

The Bi White Reveal UV Fluid contains ascorbyl glucoside which is a good form of Vitamin C. It isn't the best form (L-ascorbic acid) but can be converted into the skin to become usable. Don't expect too much from using it.

The best thing is to use a Vitamin C serum seperatley. You can also make your own, for a fraction of the cost of products sold in stores. I have a blog post for that, if you haven't checked that out already : http://allaboutskinlightening.blogspot.com/2009/06/make-your-own-vitamin-c-serum.html

You can also look into copper peptide products. Though not the same as Vitamin C, they are antioxidants that are very similar and do produce great results. I heard some great things about Neutrogena's Visibly Firm SPF 20. It has SPF protection that is stable and copper peptides : http://www.drugstore.com/qxp74971_333181_sespider/neutrogena_visibly_firm/face_lotion_with_active_copper_spf_20.htm

=D; November 25, 2009 at 6:21 PM
Anonymous said...: Hi Meleena,
Ijust ordered 55H crystalline....have u ever heard of it? Does it have harmful products? i wish i had seen this blog earlier :S if wha i just bought doesnt work then ill try this. Does it Vichy make u lighten atleast a couple of skin tones or does it just brighten the skin?

Thanks! This is a great blog!; February 3, 2010 at 3:48 PM
Mileena said...: Hey!

I've acutally never heard of the 55h crystalline. Is it a topical product or something you take orally? If you can provide me a link to a official website, I can poke around to see what exactly it is.

I really like the Vichy Bi White. It's hard to describe it now that I've been using it for several months. It *does* lighten, but it's not as powerful as other skin lighteners (Fair & Flawless, Makari, Hypercreme). But on the same turn, it's not as mild as a skin brightener. I would say it's just a really mild skin lightener.

It did lighten my skin at least 1/2 a shade overall, this is enough for me to like it. I find it does a great job at fading acne marks very well - I think it's the salicylic acid aspect of it.

The best thing I can tell anyone who is using it or is interested in using it is to not expect mircales from it but it's an awesome product in terms of maintenance, keeping skin smooth and very radiant. And it did lighten my skin half a shade, so there's that too. ;) I would recommend this, it's great I like it a lot but do know that it's not the most powerful lightener out there.

I use it underneath my sunscreen during the day. At night I use another skin lightener - the Skinceuticals Phyto+ and I mix that with my Retin-A gel (tretinoin). My regimen has really been working for well for me. =); February 3, 2010 at 7:00 PM
Ari said...: hey Mileena (:
is this product still available??
i can't find it on the local drugstores (i'm from italy), and it doesn't show up on vichy's website... dunno... where do you get it??; April 26, 2010 at 5:06 AM
Mileena said...: Hi Pinkita!

Yes the Double Reveal Corrective is still availabe. The original Corrective Care with Procystein is not available however. I believe that one has been discontinued and replaced with this. I still use this and love it! It's great.

I get mine from a local drugstore here in Canada. I think the Vichy Bi White Reveal line has its own seperate website.

If you can't find it in local drugstores in italy, perhaps looking at an online vendor is best. Here are a few you can purchase online with:

http://www.facial-shop.com/goods.php?id=4879

^ that one is a great deal. I believe they also do international shipping.

http://mall.coimbatore.com/bnh/vichy/whiteningessence.html

<3; April 26, 2010 at 11:51 AM
Karen said...: Oh, I feel SO much better after reading this. I bought the whole Bi-Whitening set today and was already feeling bad because it costed so much, but when I got home and started Googling reviews, I felt even worse to see many reviewers state that it made skin oily and caused breakouts. So I guess I was reading reviews for the wrong version? I hope I bought the right one, haha.

But anyways, thanks so much for the review, I was wondering if I should even try it after reading the horrible comments on the previous version.; May 24, 2010 at 12:07 AM
Karen said...: And sorry I didn't include this in my last comment, but I have a question about how to use it, since the label didn't really specify. Do I use it after toner and moisturizer, or after toner and before moisturizer? Also, is it like a spot treatment kind of thing (Like just apply to dark spots) or the whole face? Thanks.; May 24, 2010 at 10:34 AM
Mileena said...: Hi Karen,

lol no this version is MUCH better. It's not oily at all, I still use it and really like it.

Just remember to apply sparingly, a little goes a long way with this product. It's a good one though. I don't think there are much comments on the previous version on this blog, but from what I've read online they actually seem pretty good (minus the oily part).

Thank god this version is oil-free ;); May 24, 2010 at 11:21 AM
Mileena said...: Use it after applying your toner. Then layer your moisturizer (if needed, I only apply moisturizer if my skin feels dry. If it feels fine, there is no need to. The Bi White however isn't very moisturizing)on top.

It is a full face treatment, it can be used on your face and neck. All you need is about the size of a quarter to suffice your face (well for me it does. It varies from person to person).

Good luck, hope it works for you.
;); May 24, 2010 at 5:38 PM
Anonymous said...: which one do you use, the night or the day essence ?
thanks; May 26, 2010 at 9:24 AM
Mileena said...: Hmm, here in Canada there is only the Whitening Essence (which I assume is the 'day'?). There is a night moisturizer by I get the essence since it is more concentrated. ;); May 26, 2010 at 12:55 PM
Karen said...: Thanks for answering my questions. :) And yes, good thing it's oil-free, I have so many blackheads around my nose already.; May 26, 2010 at 7:38 PM
Mileena said...: Tell me about it. With my oily skin I used to get them a lot. Since I've been on Retin-A gel for 3-4 years now, I don't get them much thankfully. =); May 27, 2010 at 11:47 AM
Anonymous said...: hey mileena, i have oily skin as well. planning to buy this but i noticed, it has salicylic acid. i dont have a not so good experience with SA. too bad!! i previously used skinceuticals phyto+ before I knew that it was so great and popular. I even finished 3 bottles. my derm said, I should have at least a resting period. now im 3 months off of it. just wondering if i can use it again cause im breaking out again and my acne scars arent fading well :(; July 31, 2010 at 9:25 PM
Mileena said...: Hi! I would definitley recommend using the Skinceuticals Phyto+ again. That's a great lightener that I always turn to since it works great for our skin type (oily or acne prone).

Some people are very reactive to BHAs and AHAs. Though the amount in Vichy Bi White is VERY little (I am sure it's probably 0.5% or even less) and probably won't cause you much problems, if you want to stay safe go back to the Phyto+. It's one of my favs, but the Bi White is good too. If the salicylic acid is what your worried about, I should say it's very little. Honestly anything below 2% in BHA is not potent so it shouldn't cause any flare ups.

<3; August 1, 2010 at 12:52 PM
Anonymous said...: can a male of 25 yrs can use this product . How many days does it take to see a noticeable change in fairness.; August 14, 2010 at 12:07 AM
Mileena said...: Ofcourse a 25 year old male can. It's suitable for all skin types - not very moisturizing I must say.

Skin lightening from any product is subjective to everyone's unique skin, but I saw lightening of all my acne marks and freckles by week 3 of consistent daily usage.; August 14, 2010 at 4:15 AM
Anonymous said...: hi mileena, would i be able to use this product after using a skin brightener such as the neostrata 20% one? And if I can how long do I have to wait?; August 14, 2010 at 10:22 AM
Mileena said...: You wouldn't need to worry about waiting or any confliction since the Bi White is a vitamin c derivative product. Usually I do wait at least 2-3 minutes regardless just to allow one product to fully absorb (the Neostrata 20% Brightener absorbs VERY quick though so you can just apply the on top right away).

Good luck, that's two great products!; August 14, 2010 at 12:15 PM
Anonymous said...: Hey Mileena,

I messaged asking about this earlier but I forgot which blog I asked under. So I am going to ask again (sorry), which product would you say is more effective and potent...vichy biwhite or skinceuticals?; August 15, 2010 at 2:24 PM
Mileena said...: The Vichy Bi White is a line of products, so I think if used the corrective essence with their emulsion/fluid you could possibly get strong results. I think the Bi White Fluid/Emulsion has Vitamin CG (some patented complex) and a few other botanicals that are not in the Essence so it's a good combo.

But strictly on just the Bi White essence (this product) and SKinceuticals Phyto+ - I would say the Phyto+ is more effective. For me it was.; August 15, 2010 at 4:37 PM
Anonymous said...: hi!
Um, I'm kinda new to this with skin whitening. I'm thinking about starting to whiten my skin up a few shades. But now when I'm reading all the articles about skin whitening I'm starting to doubt. I just wonder if there are any downsides of skin whitening and how much time do you spend every day treatin your skin? Does is take up much of your time to take care of your skin? Should I just start with buying a product and then start whiten it or should I start slowly with other things first, to get my skin 'used' to the whitening??; September 21, 2010 at 10:47 AM
Mileena said...: Hi,

It doesn't take time at all, a skin lightening regimen is just like any skin care regimen (treating acne) - actually much simpler. There are 3 things to follow and have in your routine:

protect (sunscreen daily. It can be worn on top of a skin lightener or your regular moisturizer but always before makeup)

treat (use a skin lightener like Vichy Bi White Whiteneing Essence or Paul & Joe Whitening Serum either in the day or night or both depending on how it works for you. If you don't feel comfortable layering products on your face, then use a lightener at night and sunscreen during the day)

exfoliate (you need to consistently and gently exfoliate to remove dead skin cells and promote full cell turnover for an even look. You can either do weekly scrubs, chemical peels or use a lightener at night that has alpha hydroxy acids init like DDF Holistic Lightener).

That's just a general template that leads to whitening. Exfoliation, protection and treatment. It takes time since using natural skin lightening products are much more mild in comparison to harsh skin bleaching agents like hydroquinone. Generally 4 weeks of a consistent regimen should be the time you start seeing some visible results.

The only downside to whitening is that you need to wear sunscreen daily. Rain or shine since by inhibiting melanininyour skin with lighteners you are in essence compromising your skin's defense against the sun (less melanin = less natural protection). So sunscreen is a must. Find onethat you enjoy wearing like Clarins UV, Sofina Lucent, Shiseido etc.

<333; September 21, 2010 at 11:33 AM

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Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Product Review - Vichy Bi-White Reveal Double Corrective Whitening Essence

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