REVIEW: Tokyo Love Spot On KEU Whitening Corrector Cream

Hello everyone.

Gosh I really miss my own blog. Anyways, I’m back for another review! Let me tell you a little secret – which most of us might go through the same problem like mine, I have a problem with dark underarm. Okay, euw, I know. But finallyyy, I am at this stage where my underarm is no longer darker than any other part of my body – same color as my arm, though there are spots here and there that I need to struggle on to get flawless underarm. LOL. It took me approximately a year in working on this matter. Mid last year, I discovered that my underarm is not the color I really fond. I don’t care about it previously as I thought, “no one is going to look at it anyways” until I get to be a bit of a beauty concern. I started off by ditching my deodorant and use natural deodorant. Then I started to sugar wax it instead of shaving it, then I found out that sugar waxing is pretty messy and tiring (not to mention that the heat burns!) so I decided to use veet cold wax strips instead, up until now.

Enough with the introduction, let’s move on. So let me introduce to you the product I used specifically for underarm since the last 4 months, Tokyo Love Spot On KEU Whitening Corrector Cream. I actually bought this through their official website (which I’m not particularly going to mention here, sorry!) for RM48 of approximately 14 USD for 30g. The online store is outside Malaysia thus I have to wait for a month for it to arrive. Zzz. Here are the photos:

Tokyo Love Spot On KEU Whitening Corrector Cream

Before opening the seal

The cream

At first I thought, "what's KEU? Is it some kind of chemical name of it?" then I asked the company about it and they said the its Knee, Elbow and Underarm. So I know. LOL. I didn't know at first it was made for those spots. I bought it because of the rave reviews on their website about this cream that they dabbed it on areas like underarm. Here are the claims since it's not written on the tub:

"Avena Sativa Protein serves as the base ingredient of the whitening cream to deliver an anti itch and anti inflammatory properties clinically proven to lessen skin irritation in the KEU areas. Carica Papaya and Pyrus Malus Extract gently whitens the dark spots. Aloe Barbadensis extract corrects dryness and hydrates the skin while diffusing the much needed Vitamin E and essential oils to condition the skin. Niacinamide protects the skin from oxidative stress while MIF-1 takes whitening to a whole new level by directly inhibiting melanocytes replication and inducing premature melanocytic apoptosis.

MIF-1 is the most advanced skin whitening ingredient available in the market today. It is  10 times more powerful than glutathione and 50 times more powerful than papaine. It is a strictly regulated ingredient and is  not allowed to be used on commercial products hence, you will not see it on the ingredients list of your usual beauty products in the supermarket or drug store. It is only allowed to be used in professional and medical-grade cosmetics similar to Botox®. We guarantee total satisfaction in targeting those dark areas Spot on! with our Tokyo Love Shop Spot On KEU Whitening Corrector Cream.

Benefits

• Rapidly whitens the knees, elbows and underarm areas with results usually seen overnight
• Safe, non irritating ingredients
• Avena Protein allows safe skin whitening even after shaving
• Contains natural skin conditioners that hydrates and soothe dry skin
• All natural and organic ingredients"

Ingredients: Avena Sativa Extract, Carica Papaya Extract, Pyrus Malus Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Extract, Niacinamide, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Melanocyte Inhibiting Factor-1, Nut Grass Root Extract, Lemon Extract, Alpha Hydroxy Acids, Hydrolyzed Silk Protein, BG, Wheat Germ Oil

They claimed that their products are "100% organic and vegan". Though I didn't see any certificates on this matter thus I don't actually buy this claim. But you can actually see that they use mostly vegetarian ingredients so I think there is not much to be worried about. Or for more details, you can actually email them as they reply pretty fast.

Product

It is actually contained in a matte black plastic tub that is kinda interesting to me. I like how opaque the tub is that the ingredients inside will not going to be ruined from sunrays just in case. The cream is scentless, and I didn’t take the effort to sniff on it all the time as I only use it on my underarm. The cream is white in color and it feels like whipping cream, only thicker.

How I use it

I wash my underarm with a special whitening soap and let it fully dry before I dab this cream on. It’s harder for it to absorb when the skin is slightly damp. It is actually like a normal cream thus dabbing on skin is pretty usual and nothing to be amazed of. It does not absorb immediately as I need to massage it on my skin like 60 counts on each underarm to assure myself the cream is absorbed. If you have hairs on the skin you are planning to use it on, you have to be patient as it will stick to your hairs instead of the skin. LOL. Just keep on massaging and it will later on disappear from your hair to your skin. During the first 3 months, I religiously dabbed this twice a day. On the forth month, it’s on and off for me as I am very busy and I often forgot about it. I have finally finished it up a week ago.

Effects

The whitening effect is pretty decent. It’s not miraculous but it helps. I love how it softens my skin whilst reducing chicken skin on it. I realized my skin is at its verge getting to its normal color on the first time I started to use cold wax – which is approximately after a month of using this cream. I like how it looks! To tell you the truth, I have severe pigmentation on my underarm due to shaving, sensitive skin and excessive use of deodorant – as I have problem with body odor when I was still in school. I started using this cream end of December last year which during that time, the pigmentation is no longer that severe, but still slightly darker than any other part of my body. I used stick deodorant and since then my underarm started to darken like crazy. Pfft!  I’m glad I actually tried this product but I think it helps more when I used good whitening soap on it too.

Okay, here is the timeline of my routine (because it gets a little bit complicated LOL):

Mid 2013: Stop using stick deodorant and shaving (start sugar waxing and use natural deodorant)

v

End of December 2013: Start using KEU cream whilst continue using natural deodorant and sugar wax

v

End of January 2014: Start using cold wax strip (still using natural deodorant and KEU)

v

End of April 2014: KEU cream finished

Cons? Yes there are cons about this product. It actually comedogenic – aka there is a tendency that it may clog pores. Sometimes I get zits on my underarm and when I squeeze the zit, the cream came out. GROSSSS! You know what zits supposed to come out with when squeezed, not creams. LOL. It claims to reduce odor but I found out that it does not do much on this matter. I still need my natural deodorant to remove odor effectively. Well, basically that is the reason why I didn’t repurchase as zits can cause dark spots though the spots are easily faded using the cream as well.

My ratings:

Effectiveness: ★★★☆☆ (if only it does not clog pores)

Bottle: ★★★★☆ (I love it because its black and matte but I took away one star because its not hygienic)

Price: ★★★☆☆ (it is expensive for a simple cream like that and the shipping fee costs me RM12 of approximately 3 USD)

Long term effect: ★★★☆☆ (so far so good and my skin doesn't turn darker since then)

Overall, I do recommend this cream for those who have minor pigmentation on their underarm or areas they actually made it for. "KEU" areas. I can't assure that it might help for pigmentation caused by diseases and pregnancy but it will help a lot if it caused by deodorant and shaving. I do not suggest this cream for those who afraid of getting zits on their pits but the zits are not severe. One zit a month I guess? Also, don't consider using it on your face as it can clog your pores and it is not made for delicate facial skin.

P/S: I tried a lot of methods (dabbing lemons on it, baking soda scrub etc.) to remove the dark skin but I never consistently use those methods because of lack of supply in my kitchen. Besides, I don't have the audacity to waste foods in my kitchen. I cannot say these methods don't help but well, I can't say it helped either.

I hope this review helps!

Regards