What is Glutathione and How Does it Lighten Skin?

You’ve heard of glutathione whitening benefits, but it’s so, so much more than a simple skin lightener. It’s also crucial for your health. You see, glutathione is a powerful antioxidant – so important that it’s been dubbed “The Super Antioxidant” and “The Mother of All Antioxidants.”

So what is this skin whitening antioxidant and what makes it so super duper? Let’s find out.

At its simplest, glutathione (pronounced “gloota-thigh-own“) is a substance naturally produced by the liver. And it’s a multi-tasking wonder. It’s critical for immune function. It controls inflammation. It acts as the master detoxifier and the body’s main antioxidant. And it is not only a powerful antioxidant, but it recycles antioxidants by destroying free radicals in our bodies and helping to regenerate another protective gluthathione molecule to boost our immunity to disease.

A glutathione-deficiency has been linked to a variety of illnesses from chronic fatigue syndrome and asthma to the more deadly, like cancer and heart disease.  On the other hand, raised glutathione levels have been shown to prevent aging, heart disease, cancer, dementia, as well as decrease muscle damage, reduce recovery time, increase strength and endurance and even shift metabolism from fat production to muscle development. No wonder gluthatione is being hailed as the mightiest antioxidant.

But that’s not all. Glutathione works wonders for your body, but it also causes a certain side effect: skin whitening.

How Does Glutatione Lighten Skin?

So how does an antioxidant that detoxifies and boosts immunity also whiten skin? Well, as we mentioned previously – glutathione is naturally produced by the body. But a number of factors like poor diet, pollution, toxins, medications, stress, trauma, infections, and even simple aging all deplete glutathione levels.

Taking glutathione – whether orally, topically or intravenously – helps boost the body’s capacity to create glutathione. Ideally, supplemental glutathione will be absorbed by the blood stream and taken to the liver, which will then create natural glutatione and export that to other cells.

This increase in glutathione lightens skin because glutathione is made up of three amino acids: cysteine, glutamine, and glycine. Cysteine is the main component and abundant levels of cysteine in the body has been shown to lower overall melanin production in the body by inhibiting tyrosinase (an enzyme that stimulates melanin production) and the metabolic pathway of melanin from synthesizing dark pigmented melanin (eumelanin) to creating light-pigmented melanin (phaeomelanin).

The result? A gradual shift to lighter and lighter skin tones, naturally and from the inside out