Fact Check: Does face massage with honey, coconut oil and aloe vera gel turn skin fair overnight?

Hyderabad: A Facebook video showing an AI-bot ‘doctor’ suggesting a face massage with a mix of honey, aloe vera gel and coconut oil to get fair skin overnight has gone viral on social media.

The pigment melanin, which gives skin the colour it has, is produced by cells called melanocytes.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false.

Can honey make you fair?

No, honey can’t make you fair. Although raw honey has multiple benefits when applied to skin including reducing bacteria and exfoliation, clearing acne, healing scars and maintaining skin tone, it can make the skin look fairer.

Manuka honey has been studied as an anti-acne product and found to be significantly more effective than other popular products. It can also naturally exfoliate skin eliminating dry skin and revealing new skin cells underneath, giving the skin a clearer look.

A Healthline article clearly states that researchers haven’t drawn a direct connection between using honey and achieving a fair complexion, apart from making the skin feel fresh.

Can aloe vera gel make you fair?

No, aloe vera gel has a number of benefits, especially being a moisturising agent. Limited research suggests that aloe vera gel might also help reduce skin hyperpigmentation.

Hyperpigmentation is a common skin condition in which extra melanin gets deposited in the skin. It is usually due to exposure to sun, medications, pregnancy, acne and hormonal disorders.

The article also warns that aloe vera may not completely reduce the appearance of dark spots. It’s also possible to be allergic to it.

Healthline adds, “While there’s little scientific evidence that aloe vera can reduce the appearance of hyperpigmented areas of skin, many people report that it works to lighten dark spots.”

Can coconut oil make you fair overnight?

Although coconut oil is good for the skin, by hydrating it and retaining skin moisture, it can affect fair skin. Coconut oil may also help reduce inflammation, promote wound healing and has antibacterial properties.

An article on Medical News Today states, “Some people apply coconut oil directly to the skin as a facial cleanser or moisturizer. This may be beneficial against acne, but it’s not recommended for people who have very oily skin. Coconut oil is highly comedogenic, which means it can clog pores. Consequently, it may actually make acne worse for some people.”

We contacted Dr D Dinesh Kumar MD, FRCP to debunk the claim.

“Sardinian honey obtained from different floral sources such as arbutus, asphodelus, eucalyptus, thistle, and sulla have shown their ability to inhibit tyrosinase and xanthine oxidase enzymes and also contain antioxidant activity. Thereby they may have some melanin-inhibiting activity. Similarly, some research has shown that aloin and aloesin found in aloe vera have melanin-inhibiting activity. But to claim one can get fairer skin by overnight application of the above two is highly exaggerated, far-fetched and unsubstantiated,” Dr Dinesh said.

Through our search, we found that although honey, aloe vera gel and coconut oil are beneficial when applied over the skin separately, there is no scientific evidence to claim that mixing them together would be beneficial. None of the ingredients were found to be potentially showing a drastic change in the skin tone or melanin overnight.