As many may know, Hada Labo is one of the most famous Japanese skincare companies, known for their highly effective and affordable products. While they have many products that are popular, one of their popular products is called the Hada Labo Shirojyun Premium Whitening Lotion. Continue to read more to find out more about this product!

Do not be alarmed, the word, “whitening” is not what you think it is. In Japan and in various Asian countries, you may come across beauty products that contain the word “whitening.” However, the majority of the time, the idea of “whitening” is equivalent to the idea of “brightening” or evening the skin. 

In the Hada Labo Shirojyun Whitening Lotion, there are absolutely no bleaching ingredients at all. This product is used to brighten skin tones and also make spots less visible. I used to play a lot of outside sports in the past 15 years of my life and have gotten visible sunspots. I know that although it is not guaranteed that this product would lighten my spot, I would like to see if my spot gets even a little bit lighter as well as my overall skin tone. 

About Hada Labo

Hada Labo, a brand owned and created by ROHTO Pharmaceutical Co., is famous for its affordable skincare products loved by all ages. It’s also very famous for the main ingredient used in their skincare products, hyaluronic acid, which helps anybody with any skin type achieve the maximum capacity of moisture and hydration. 

Quick Facts about The Hada Labo Gokujyun Hyaluronic Acid Premium Lotion

The Hada Labo Shirojyun Whitening Lotion is a thin and light-weight lotion/toner that helps brighten and treat the tone of the skin. It contains ingredients such as anti-inflammatory white tranexamic acid (whitening active ingredient), nanoized Hyaluronic acid, vitamin C derivative and vitamin E as moisturizing ingredients. This lotion/toner deeply penetrates the skin as it repairs UV-damaged skin and prevents the formation. Of freckles and dark spots. Some of its features are considered gentle for your skin: fragrance free, colorless, alcohol free, oil free, paraben free and mild acidity.

Ingredients: Tranexamic acid (white tranexamic acid) Vitamin C Mg phosphate, Vitamin E, Hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid (nanohyaluronic acid), Hyaluronic acid Na-2, DPG, BG, Diglycerin, Concentrated Glycerin, hydroxylated soybean phospholipid, PEG-8, PEG (30), sorbitan laurate POE (20), VP / styrene copolymer emulsion, citric anhydride, paraben

Skin type: For all types of skin, but especially for dry and sensitive skin

Texture: Light-weight, thin texture

Fragrance: Minimum to none

Packaging: 170ml

My Initial Impression

The first time I saw this product, I was scared to see the English translation on the back, saying that it was a “whitening lotion.” Regardless, I know that although it may mention that it is a “whitening lotion,” oftentimes in Japan, it is more of a “brightening lotion” and contains no bleaching ingredients. Also, although it is labeled as a “lotion,” this product acts more like a toner than it is a lotion.

Putting the product on my hands, I would say that it feels very light weight and liquidy, but not sticky. I love how moisturizing it is, but I can tell that it’s definitely not enough to keep my skin hydrated for hours.

Using the Product

Written in Japanese, there are some simple instructions that are mentioned on the packaging: after you wash your face, take the lotion in the palms of your hands then put it on your face and press your hands against it for your skin to absorb the lotion. It does not mention how much product to put on your face, so I just applied about 3-4 splashes of product on my face. 

Like I mentioned previously, this product is not something that you should use on its own, even though it may say that it contains moisturizing agents. So I made sure that I put facial moisturizing cream and other necessary moisturizing products following this Hada Labo lotion.

The Effectiveness of the Product

Using it for a few weeks, I feel like my skin has become a little bit brighter and evenly toned than it did before. However, I do not really see that much change when it comes to my sun spot, maybe just slightly faded. I think that if I keep using this for months, I will definitely see a change to my skin tone if I see a slight but obvious difference within 2 weeks.

The Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Reduce the production of melanin
• Lightweight and gentle
• Prevent hyperpigmentation
• Repair damaged skin
• Alcohol free
• Suitable for normal skin type
• Moisturize the skin
• Color free
• Scent free
• Oil free
• Mild acidity
• Paraben free
• Contains “whitening” ingredient: white tranexamic acid
• Active anti-inflammatory ingredient
• Hydrating toner/absorbs into skin easily

Cons:

• Although its main purpose is not for moisturizing, it does not have much moisturizing effects as stated

Hada Labo Shirojyun Whitening Lotion vs Premium

The word, “premium” on one product may throw you off when you hear it, making it seem like a product would work better than the other one. However, for these two similar products, they have slight differences when it comes to the purpose of the product. 

According to the official Hada Labo site, the “normal” Hada Labo Shirojyun Whitening Lotion is used more to concentrate treating the tone of the skin—making the skin appear brighter, and the premium on the other hand concentrates on treating the sun spots.

Final Thoughts

I’m glad to try out this product, because I’ve always wanted to even out the tone on my skin. I definitely see a difference using this product on my skin, and can’t wait to see future results after using this for more months. 

I think this is a great product to buy if you have similar concerns as I do, and also because it works well for its affordable price. 

By Kaitlyn C.