How real is a fairness cream makes one fair? What is fairness is all about. The media and popular magazines are flooded with advertisements about fairness products. Companies compete to sell products through tall promises and big laundry list of benefits. Time has come; the end user should think a while and ask what extent the promise is real. The ‘constitutive skin colour’ (skin colour at birth) undergoes changes with time in every individual despite their occupation, race or living conditions (geographic/climatic) and such changes are referred to as ‘facultative skin colour’. The progressive change of the skin colour will be mostly towards darker side from the constitutive skin colour. The extent of darkness only can vary with the living conditions/occupation of different individuals. When a product with an effective sun screeners and skin pigment down regulating agents are used, the facultative change may progressively revert back to the constitutive level. The change in skin colour beyond constitutive level will be always dangerous as such change may be non-reversible and can lead vitiligo (leucoderma)/skin cancer. No fairness/skin whitening/lightening creams can make the skin of a person fair beyond his/her constitutive skin colour. Any claim in this regard by any product manufacturer/Marketing Company has to be viewed dangerously as such products may cause irreversible skin damage. To become ‘fair in complexion’ by a fairness cream, one has to be born with fair complexioned skin. In essence, the fairness creams do less to make you fair than what you are at birth. May be, it can offer a little moisturisation benefits and protection from sun induced skin colour change. A simple self care is sufficient to get those benefits than going for fairness products. Common product linked benefits advertised The most common claim advertised in fairness products are fairness in 10 days to 4 week period of use. Since the definition of fairness is very loose and ambiguous, such product claims easily catch the attention of consumer. Conventionally, tyrosinase inhibitors (key enzyme responsible for skin pigment formation) are used. The skin pigment transfer inhibitors are also used in some products. The later is relatively safer than the former as the skin pigment transfer inhibitors seldom alter the synthesis of the pigment. The skin pigment has great biological significance. Another interesting facet of the product claim is that the difference is skin colour changes after product use are measured by a very sensitive instrument and such changes recognized by the instrument cannot be perceived by human eye. Science has been established to support the claim to an extent to protect the claimant legally and also sufficient enough to confuse/fool the end user. The products for treating pigmentory disorders especially hyper pigmentation related problems do work effectively but are taken under strict medical supervision. Hence, any untoward skin damage/change due to prolonged use of such products does not occur as their use is restricted to a defined period of time.