Every week, Marie Santos* would make her way to a friend’s house in a quiet town in Pampanga. Inside the modest living room, the setup was simple: a couch, a couple of monobloc chairs, and an intravenous (IV) stand parked near the yellow-painted wall. It certainly wasn’t a clinic nor a hospital, but it was where her friends would gather for their regular “gluta drips.”

Her friend, a nurse by profession, would prepare the IV glutathione and insert the needle into the back of Santos’ hand. For the next 30 to 45 minutes, the solution would drip slowly into her vein like a dextrose while she chatted with the others about daily life—family, work, small-town gossip. Sometimes, there’d be two to three women sitting around with her, each waiting their turn or already hooked up to the drip. 

There was a promise. A promise that with consistency, this treatment would lighten their skin and give them a youthful glow. And hold on to that promise, they did. 

That was the routine Santos, now 50, followed religiously—about eight years ago. She now looks back and questions the results. “I did it for about a year,” Santos recalls. “But I never felt any change. Not in my skin, not in my energy. I don’t think it worked.” 

Santos moved on. Others, however, did not—including some of her friends who still do it until now. Women around the country, drawn by the promise of skin lightening, continue to sit in spas, salons, and even living rooms, veins primed for the drip of an unproven “solution.” 

“The demand is so high,” Philippine Dermatological Society (PDS) President Jasmin Jamora, MD notes. And where there’s demand, businesses—ethical or not—will step in to supply it.

Halfway through my interview about IV glutathione with Dr. Jamora, she paused and thanked Allure Philippines for seeking evidence-based beauty—a rare effort in an industry riddled with misinformation. “We really need to educate [the people],” she says, the weight of her mission evident in her tone.

Despite her demanding schedule, Dr. Jamora responded swiftly to my request for an interview, eager to shed light on the undying obsession of Filipinos with “gluta drips.” The first thing she tells me? “There’s not enough evidence for either oral or IV glutathione for whitening specifically,” she states firmly. 

The PDS has been repeating this for years. Since 2008, their position papers have made it clear: There is no scientific proof that glutathione—whether taken orally or intravenously—has skin-whitening, anti-aging, or skin-rejuvenating effects. The FDA has echoed these concerns, consistently reminding the public that the only approved use of IV glutathione is as an adjunct treatment to mitigate the side effects of chemotherapy.

Yet, the market continues to flourish.

The deadly gamble: Do the perceived benefits outweigh the risks?

Santos remembers paying around PHP 1,300 for an IV glutathione session every week—that’s roughly PHP 67,600 a year. She now believes that it was just a waste of money. But IV glutathione isn’t only that—it can also be dangerous.

In January 2024, Department of Health secretary Ted Herbosa warned about the illegal administration of IV glutathione for skin lightening. “I’m telling you from the Department of Health. It is not safe,” he warned. “The FDA has not registered it for skin whitening. If there’s someone using it, it is illegal.”

“I just spoke to a doctor last year,” Dr. Jamora says. “She had a patient who did IV glutathione every week for ten years. The woman ended up with kidney failure.” Dr. Jamora cautioned in a press conference last January that IV glutathione can lead to higher doses, which may put a strain on the kidneys.

Aside from acute kidney failure, other most severe risks include:

  • Liver toxicity
  • Anaphylactic shock
  • Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (a life-threatening skin reaction)
  • Blood clots
  • Neurological symptoms (like headaches, dizziness, numbness)

A PDS report documented 69 cases of adverse effects, including renal failure, endocrine disorders, and severe allergic reactions. And these are only the reported cases. How many more have gone unnoticed or unreported? The reality is this: there is no established “safe” dose or duration for IV glutathione. It remains an unregulated gamble, with stakes far higher than a lighter complexion.

The weight of colonial beauty standards

Despite repeated warnings from health authorities, the demand for IV glutathione for skin lightening remains huge. “It’s cultural,” Dr. Jamora says simply. “In our Asian culture, we really value light-colored skin.”

In the Philippines, a country rich in morena beauty, the preference for lighter skin is a colonial wound that has yet to heal. “During the colonial days, in the Spanish times, the white people, or the peninsulares, of course, were the rich ones, right? They were the heads of the society,” Dr. Jamora explains. “And then the mestizos/mestizas also became highly valued.” The mestizos and mestizas, with their European features, became symbols of status and desirability. That mentality has carried on through generations.

And so, even today, women risk their health in the pursuit of a skin tone that society tells them is better.

Santos underwent IV glutathione treatments in 2018 with the same goal, hoping to achieve the lighter skin she had always wanted. “Gusto ko talagang pumuti noon,” she says, recalling how she thought having fairer skin would make her feel better about herself. She believed that it would help her look more beautiful and fit in with what society often celebrated.

Kurty Narvadez, a 28-year-old business owner and now a proud morena, confesses that she also once fell into the trap of IV glutathione. Worse, in an act of desperation, she learned how to inject herself through YouTube tutorials, unable to afford professional treatments. “Looking back, I deeply regret doing something so risky,” she admits.

Questions (and answers) that should stop you from getting a skin lightening drip

Beneath the glossing marketing and whispered testimonials lies a harsh reality: IV glutathione treatments for skin lightening are unsafe and a risk you wouldn’t want to take. This isn’t to say the glutathione itself is harmful. In fact, it’s a naturally occurring compound in our bodies. 

“Glutathione is a compound composed of glutamine, glycine, and cysteine, amino acids that we can see in our own body that our body produces,” Dr. Jamora says. It acts as an antioxidant that supports metabolism and immune function. “Usually, we don’t need to drink it as a supplement because we can eat it with vegetables and fruits.” 

However, there has been a long-standing belief that glutathione can lighten the skin by blocking tyrosinase, an enzyme involved in melanin production. This led to the popularity of IV glutathione treatments. But before even deciding to consider one for yourself, Dr. Jamora suggests asking yourself these important questions:

  1. Who is administering the procedure? Intravenous infusion is a medical procedure. It should be done by a licensed doctor or a nurse under direct supervision of a doctor. Not just anyone with a syringe.
  2. Is there FDA-approved glutathione for skin lightening? There is no FDA-approved use of glutathione for skin lightening. In fact, the agency has issued warnings about the dangers of using injectable lightening agents like glutathione. “To date there are no published clinical trials that have evaluated the use of injectable glutathione for skin lightening,” the FDA wrote in a published advisory.
  3. Is it being done in the right place? IV treatments should be performed in a proper healthcare setting, Dr. Jamora stresses. Healthcare clinics or hospitals—not beauty spas, not salons, not someone’s living room.
  4. And most importantly—why do you want to receive it? If you’re thinking a whitening drip will help you recover from being sick or unwell, simply consult with your doctor instead, Dr. Jamora encourages. 

A shift in the narrative: The rise of morena beauty

There has been some progress. In recent years, morenas are finally being celebrated in mainstream beauty. Darker skin is slowly on its way to no longer being seen as something to correct but something to cherish. But the battle is far from over. IV glutathione for skin lightening remains widely available, and the demand is still strong.

For many, like Santos, the realization came late, but at least it did. “Some of my friends are still doing it,” she admits. “They swear by it. But I know better now. It’s just not worth the risk.” And for others, like Narvadez, their regret serves as a cautionary tale. But one thing is for sure: We shouldn’t have to risk our health just to be considered beautiful.

The promise of IV glutathione remains just that—a promise. But promises can be broken, and illusions can be shattered. And perhaps, it’s time to break free from the weight of unhealthy beauty standards. As Dr. Jamora reminds us, especially the morenas, it’s time to “appreciate your beautiful, God-given brown skin.”

*Names have been changed.