My Review: African Formula Skin Lightening Cream (2023) – Good Or Not?

It’s time for my African Formula Skin Lightening Cream review – a product that looks quite interesting.But honestly, I have doubts about it, since it doesn’t look like it can be trusted:

• few details available
• limited authentic reviews
• not an all-natural/herbal-based

So is this product a good one or is it just a scam?

After analyzing the details of this cream, I will show you the things I found behind it.

Note: This review is based on my opinion + research on African Formula Skin Lightening Cream.

Review Summary

Full Name: African Formula Cream by International Beauty Exchange, Inc.

Product Type: Skin Lightening Cream

Best Actual Price: From $7

Cheapest Place To Buy: Amazon

Designed For: Making the skin lighter– it claims to:

• even out complexion
• brighten discoloration
• protect skin from UV rays

My Rating: 5 out of 10

Recommended?: No – there are a lot of questionable things about it:

• its basic info is hard to find
• limited reviews
• can cause side effects quite often

Instead, I suggest you try the best lightening cream I know, it's a much better choice (in my view). 

What I Liked About It

• Very affordable
• Pretty easy to use

What I Didn’t Like About It

• Contains potentially harmful ingredients
• Can cause severe side effects
• Not many details about the producer
• Very few authentic customer reviews
• Hard to find product info
• Version sold on Amazon has very few details
• Not worth the price
• Uninformative official website

#1 – Claims & Producer

At this point – there really isn't much available about African Formula's cream.

Based on my careful research, these are some general details I can give you:

• which skin issues it improves
• how this product works
• who is the producer

1. Claims

This product doesn't have an official website so I will only state the claims mentioned in the product listings.

There are several promises this cream can allegedly give – including:

• helps lighten the skin
• removes dark pigment and dark spots
• fades liver spots, blemishes and freckles
• provides protection from UV rays

Other than that – it also claims to moisturize the skin and that it's made for all skin types.

Honestly – this cream has a lot of red flags making it doubtful and hard to trust.

Even though these claims are quite common and few, I still think that it's too much.

2. Company Behind

Based on my careful research, this product is made by International Beauty Exchange, Inc.

This company has an official website and handles different brands of products.

The only good thing I saw on the site is the contact info:

• Instagram account
• email
• phone number

Another way to reach out is to leave your details and questions on the contact page.

Other than that, the rest on the website is not working at all and there's no other info available.

I also want to mention that the link to the Instagram account leads to a completely different product.

So honestly, this brand doesn't look trustworthy at all.

Overall – my advice is not to buy a product that has a sketchy background about its producer, as it's the case here.

#2 – Formula (2 out of 10)

I had a very hard time finding the full ingredient list of this product.

But luckily, I managed to see its formula eventually.

First of all – I don't like the composition of this cream, because of one potentially harmful compound.

I'm talking about the classic hydroquinone.

But let's highlight its active and inactive ingredients:

1. Hydroquinone (Active)

Back in the days, hydroquinone used to be one of the leading major ingredients when it comes to skin lightening.

And there are several reasons why it was so popular in the past:

• lightens dark patches/hyperpigmentation
• evens out skin color
• blocks melanin synthesis

In other words – it's an excellent substance when it comes to lightening skin.

But it's also a very dangerous one.

Based on recent studies, hydroquinone can potentially cause harmful effects inside your body.

This compound is be carcinogenic [1] and it can cause severe skin problems, when used excessively.

In fact – some countries totally banned it, while others regulated the allowed amount/usage.

2. Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate (Active)

This ingredient is present in some sunscreens :

• reflects and scatters UV rays [2]
• acts as a shield from sunburn
• protects skin from sun

Now, most studies say that products containing it are safe for human consumption (topically).

However – it can be potentially harmful to animals and the environment.

So it's not the safest ingredient ever if you ask me.

If it's harmful to animals, I doubt it's very safe for humans either (especially in the long run).

3. Inactive Ingredients

There are 2 significant inactive compounds that are worth mentioning:

• Ascorbic Acid – brightens dark spots
• Allantoin – exfoliates the skin/removes dead cells [3]

Now, these compounds are pretty good themselves.

But since they are labeled as inactive, they won't have any therapeutic benefit.

So don't expect too much from these 2 compounds, they're not going to help.

Conclusion

Obviously – I find the product's formula pretty weak:

• not all-natural/herbal-based
• potentially harmful for the animals and environment
• can be dangerous to human health

If you ask me, a good skin lightening product should be mostly made of herbal-based ingredients.

The main reason is that it's safer for the skin – but at the same time effective.

Overall – I can't really recommend a product with ingredients that can potentially harm you.

That especially when there are better and safer alternatives you can try instead.

#3 – Consistency & Dosage (3 out of 10)

Here are some details you should know about this product's appearance.

1. The Consistency

As expected, there's not enough info about this cream's texture.

So if I had to judge it based on the opinions online, here’s what it looks like:

• bright white cream
• thick consistency
• perfume scent

Now, there are chances that these features are not 100% accurate.

But that's how most skin whitening creams look like as well.

2. The Dosage

According to the instructions included in the product packaging, here's how you should use it:

1. Apply a thin layer to the areas you want to lighten (twice daily).
2. Stop using it if there's no result after 3 months of treatment.
3. Limit sun exposure as much as possible.

Now, these instructions are designed for adults only.

In fact, this cream isn't recommended for children under 12.

The directions also suggest using this together with other African Formula products (for best results).

That's quite normal, as most brands suggest this.

It's a marketing strategy designed to boost the products' sales.

Also – it mentions “target areas”, so you can basically use it all over your body.

#4 – Results (3 out of 10)

In order to see how African Formula works, I always check out its customers’ reviews.

Unfortunately – there's only a limited number of reviews available online.

So it's really hard to judge how this product really works.

Note: I only consider authentic reviews, not promotional/fake ones.

1. Positive Opinions

I saw this product sold on some websites – such as Amazon, eBay and Order Beauty Supply.

But I will just focus on Amazon since the reviews there are mixed (positive and negative).

So here are what satisfied customers say about African Formula:

1. Some said that this product works.
2. The rest mentioned that their dark spots were gone.
3. A lot of people experienced fast results.
4. Others praised it for its cheap price.

The overall rating of this cream is 4.2/5 stars, which is a bit high for its quality.

And to be honest, I find the reviews generic and biased.

So I cannot guarantee they are real – on the contrary, actually.

2. Negative Opinions

Now – it's not all positive.

In fact, this cream actually has a lot of complaints from previous users:

• A lot of people say that it darkened their face, instead of lightening it
• Some experienced adverse reactions
• Others swore they would never buy again

I don't want to be biased, but I find these complaints very important and significant.

That's because they give an idea about the effect this cream can have on your skin.

And as you can see – these issues are far from simple.

Conclusion

Overall – this product has mixed reviews, but not all of them seem legit.

So I personally don't recommend it, judging after its user opinions.

I simply don't believe it can help too much without causing any secondary issues.

I would probably choose a better alternative with a superior mechanism of action.

#5 – Side Effects (3 out of 10)

One good thing about reading user reviews is finding out the side effects of this product.

So far – here are the adverse reactions experienced by some buyers:

• skin burn/burning sensation
• pimple breakout
• dark marks/rashes

Honestly – I kind of expected these issues, since this cream looks doubtful to me.

It's based on hydroquinone, which is known to be an irritating substance.

That's why this cream can cause more side effects than most.

Given its ingredients and the background of its producer, that's not very surprising.

I strongly recommend you try better alternatives that are effective enough, but will not harm your skin.

#6 – Price (2.5 out of 10)

At first, this product may seem quite cheap.

But the previous points I mentioned made me think twice about its price.

And that’s why I don’t consider this cream a good choice.

1. The Exact Price

To be uniform with the reviews, I will stick with the prices listed on Amazon.

So these are the product's prices and deals I found so far:

1. One Pack costs $6.95
2. 3 packs cost $15.49
3. 6 packs $19.35

Now – one pack means a tube of the product with a quantity of 50 g (1.76 oz).

Although it's a decent amount for the price, it's not enough to cover all the problematic areas.

So if you want to lighten several areas of your body, you will definitely need to buy more.

That's why I don't think it's such a bargain as it seems.

2. Competitors’ Price

I want to show you the differences between this product and the best skin-lightening cream I know.

The cream that I'm talking about is Zeta White by Swiss Research Labs:

1. Zeta White has almost 100% natural ingredients and it's herbal-based.
2. The overall formula has a minimal risk of side effects and it's gentle to the skin. 
3. African Formula is not herbal-based and it has some risky ingredients in it.
4. It has a high tendency to cause skin irritation and adverse reactions.
5. Zeta White can be bought for $50 each or $150 for the whole set.
6. African Formula's price starts at $6.95 and you can buy it in bundles (3 and 6 Pack).

The price differences are quite remarkable since Zeta White is way more expensive.

However – if you find time to read my review about this cream, you will understand why it's worth investing in.

Zeta White is safer – but still effective and fast-acting, that's why it's a better choice overall.

Conclusion

African Formula is simply not worth it – because even though it's cheap, it's still doubtful.

As I said, not all cheap products are worthy of your money.

So if your budget allows it, I suggest you to skip this cream and try a better alternative instead.

#7 – African Formula Skin Lightening Cream In 3 Ideas

Here’s how I would sum up my opinion about this product.

1. Risky Ingredients

As I already mentioned, the active ingredients have several issues:

• can be carcinogenic (for humans)
• harmful to the environment
• bad for animals

For some, the main reason for lighter skin is to boost self-confidence.

So why use a product that can potentially harm you and do the exact opposite?

2. No Solid Background

The brand doesn't have a noticeable reputation and solid background.

Its official website isn't even working completely.

Also, the reviews for this cream are very limited and most of them seemed biased/promotional.

So if you ask me, I don't think this product is trustworthy at all.

3. Unsatisfactory Price

For the amount of the product and the area of coverage, you will definitely need to buy more.

The price can be considered cheap at first.

But that's only an illusion.

Again – not all cheap products are worth it, so always do your research.

Always remember that the price tag doesn't determine the effectiveness of a product.

My Verdict – Worth It Or Not?

Short answer: Definitely not worth it.

There are several reasons why I don't think it's worth it:

1. Contains a potentially harmful compound
2. Uninformative official website
3. Price is not worth it
4. Little info about the producer
5. Can cause serious side effects
6. Limited authentic customer reviews
7. Hard to find product info/details

Also, one weird thing is that this product is available to some retailers.

But it doesn't really have its own website – so it can't be bought even on the brand's website.

What do I recommend instead? A cream called Zeta White:

1. Contains some major skin-lightening ingredients that are also herbal-based
2. Fast-acting and effective but still gentle to the skin
3. Minimal chances of causing side effects
4. Noticeable results (based on my experience)
5. A lot of satisfied users
6. Right price for its quality

Overall, I recommend you to use a safer and reliable product to lighten your skin.

Some products are cheap, but they can potentially harm your skin in a long run.

Instead – choose Zeta White if you want to gently lighten your skin gently, without any risks.

This cream is a much better choice overall (in my opinion).

References:

1 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/-NBK539693/

2 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/-PMC2840218/

3 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/-PMC5963650/