by Rachel Green

Created on: May 05, 2009   Last Updated: May 09, 2009

C.O. Bigelow Lemon Hand Treatment is definitely a hand cream to buy if one is a fan of lemon cake or frosting. It smells just like a bakery! On top of the aroma-therapeutic benefit, the hand treatment is touted to brighten your skin via the lemon extracts that also naturally scent the heavenly hand preparation. Quote below taken from the front of the C.O. Bigelow Hand Treatment:

"Our special recipe is made in the same tradition as our Lemon Body Cream, with nourishing and skin-brightening Lemon Extracts." -see end of article for citation

On the front of the tube, it states: lemon oil and extracts are in the formula at a concentration of 6.25%. Realizing the approximate amount C.O. Bigelow put in of each ingredient, why they did put in each ingredient, can help a person understand the product they're using. Furthermore, knowing where an ingredient is on the descending ingredient rank shows how much of it is really in the product. If it is all the way at the end, you're barely getting any benefit at all. Conversely, the closer the ingredient is to the top of the list, the more of it is in the product.

Since this is called the Lemon Hand Treatment, how do the citrus treats stack up on the ingredient list? Lemon peel oil is the eighth ingredient on the list; lemon juice extract is fifteenth and lemon fruit extract is twenty-fourth.

Additionally, there are other ingredients that allegedly brighten the skin. Licorice root, the twenty-third ingredient on their lengthy 43 item ingredient list, is purported to target hyper-pigmentation i.e. dark spots. The packaging states, licorice extract is in the formula at .25%.

Another supposed fading ingredient included in this citron brew is alpha-arbutin. Alpha-arbutin is a synthetic agent that could potentially fade liver spots, inhibit melanin production and tanning, and accentuate lightening of the skin. It is the twelfth ingredient, but efficacy depends on how much is in the hand treatment, and C.O. Bigelow doesn't say the quantity of alpha-arbutin in the treatment.

A plus of C.O. Bigelow Lemon Hand Treatment, aside from the hopeful radiance-boosting benefits and uplifting redolence, is that it has not been tested on animals. For people who have allergies, another positive attribute is that the lotion has no added fragrance or artificial colors.

Keep in mind: the C.O. Bigelow Lemon Hand Treatment isn't a super-heavy butter or creme. The consistency is a lotion or light cream.

So does this lighter-style hand lotion

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