Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Skin whitening, skin lightening or skin bleaching refers to the practice of using chemical substances in a bid to lighten skin tone or provide an even skin appearance by decreasing the concentration of melanin. Several chemicals have been shown to be effective in skin whitening, while some have proved to be toxic or unsafe, adding to the debate surrounding their use and impacts on certain ethnic groups.