Belo Intensive Whitening Bar (Kojic Acid + Tranexamic Acid)

Half of 2014 has gone by, and I've had a pretty nice realization. I'd rather spend on trips to the great outdoors than malls. This means, if I had the budget, I'd rather go hiking than buy a new dress. So much for being a girl!

Early this year, I've been bitten by the travel bug. Every month, my traveling friends would either go sightseeing, hiking, or do adventures (zipline, yes?). As much as I enjoy it, these trips have taken toll on my skin. Even though my friends refer to me as "the one who doesn't change color" (or get darker), at the end of the day I still get those pesky tan lines, and my limbs aren't as fair as they use to be.

Enter the heaven-sent Belo Intensive Whitening Bar. I received a sample last May from Glamourbox, and I remember promising myself to use it after summer. I guess now's the perfect time to put it to test!

Belo Intensive Whitening Bar (Kojic Acid + Tranexamic Acid)

Belo Intensive Whitening Bar is quite new in the market, and it claims to be Belo's most most effective product innovation. We all know Kojic Acid, as it's the most popular whitening agent used in Japan. One peek at our grocery shelves alone is enough to let you see its popularity also here in the Philippines. But what's unique about Belo Intensive Whitening Bar is that it combines both Kojic Acid and Tranexamic Acid - which makes it 64% better than products with Kojic Acid alone.

Kojic Acid is an organic compound that effectively inhibits the production of tyrosinase and melanin giving skin a visibly lighter appearance. Tranexamic Acid, on the other hand, is a peptide proven to inhibit inflammation and melanin formation. It is ideal for stubborn dark spots that do not respond to other skin lightening ingredients.

First impression? My, what a skinny bar of soap! For its price, it better be good.

I've tried another brand of Kojic Acid soap before, so I braced myself for the "dry skin days" ahead. Surprisingly, I did not have that problem with Belo Intensive Whitening Bar. What's weird in a very good way was my skin feels squeaky clean in shower, but soft and supple afterwards - no lotion required. Also, I like its sweet scent of this soap - other whitening soaps don't smell as nice as this.

This soap can be used on the face and body, but I choose to just use it on my body. I've experience no stinging or itchiness, though that could probably happen if you have sensitive skin or if you use it on the face. I've been using this everyday for a week now, and so far I've noticed its skin brightening effect. On the 7th day, I rubbed my skin slightly while taking my shower, and the dead skin cells all over my body came off like it's nobody's business. (Yup, including thy underams! Yey!) So yeah, no need for a separate body scrub as well.

 Lookie! :D

Before & After

I used the soap on my body, but concentrated it on my left arm for the purpose of this review. The photo is not edited, except for cropping, labels, and watermark. The whitening effect is subtle since it's just been 7 days, so what more if you use this long term?

So does Belo Intensive Whitening Bar work? You bet it does! So far, 2 of my sisters have traded their bar soaps to this as per my endless raving.

Price: P59.75 for 65g

Available in leading supermarkets and drugstores nationwide

Dr. Vicki Belo is an authority in the health and beauty industry, catering to every Filipino - from celebrities to the general public alike. I'm actually happy when Belo decided to make beauty more accessible through their affordable yet effective mass-market products. I haven't tried a Belo product that I didn't like, so to sum it up, they really know their stuff!

Love,

Helen