Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34540471›Full record

ArticleCureus2021

Skin-Lightening Products: Consumer Preferences and Costs.

Anh-Dao Cheng, Henriette De La Garza, Mayra B C Maymone, Vanessa M Johansen, Neelam A Vashi

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cureus, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Skin Whitening Creams: Cosmetovigilance.Current pharmaceutical biotechnology · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
  3. Characterizing Nanoparticle Isolated by Yam Bean (Pharmaceutical nanotechnology · 2025
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Anh-Dao ChengDermatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, USA.
Henriette De La GarzaDermatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, USA.
Mayra B C MaymoneDermatology, Brown University, Providence, USA.
Vanessa M JohansenDermatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, USA.
Neelam A VashiDermatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Disorders of skin hyperpigmentation have an appreciable impact on quality of life, carrying social and cultural importance that influences widespread consumer demand for cosmetic lightening products. We sought to investigate product factors that may influence consumer preference when choosing an over-the-counter cream for skin-lightening purposes. The keyword "lightening cream" was searched in the "Beauty and Personal Care category" of online retailer Amazon.com. The top fifth percentile of products was determined by filtering the search results for a minimum of four out of five stars from customer reviews, and then further filtered by products with over 100 reviews. Number of reviews, rating, price per unit, vehicle, application instructions, ingredients, and review attributes were evaluated. Over 2,900 products were catalogued as "lightening cream" on Amazon.com. There were 40 products rated >4 stars and >100 reviews, constituting the top 1.34% of entries. Tocopheryl was present in 58% of the top 40 products, ascorbic acid in 40%, and niacinamide in 20%. Notably, 22.5% of the top 40 products contained no known skin-lightening ingredient. There was a moderate positive correlation (R

Indexed as

hyperpigmentationlightening creamskin bleachingskin lighteningskin lightening products

Identifiers

PMID34540471
PMCPMC8448258

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.