ORION Sales Ltd, the local manufacturer of Revlon hair products, says that its new in-house product, a “skin toning” creme called KomeFast, offers fast sales growth.

The product stands to get significant uptake with the pervasive skin-lightening trend in Jamaica.

Orion, in manufacturing the product locally, aims to cut into the market dominated by harsh imports.

“Its new and people are catching on,” said Gordon Lawrence, operations manager at Orion, about the growth of the product whose title plays on a local skin-lightening phrase. “The market was indicating that it wanted a legal product that would do some toning.”

The creme’s packaging prominently depicts the caricature of a two-faced female — half coffee tone and half vanilla.

“Its not a bleaching agent, it’s a skin toner. This product will lighten dark spots and tones skin to a nice glow,” said Lawrence in an Observer phone interview on Monday. “It will do some lightening because of the hydroquinone in the product.”

The product hit the market some six months ago and represents Orion’s second product outside of the Revlon and Crème of Nature brand — the first being disinfectants.

“The product had its soft launch late last year. It has been received very well in the market,” Lawrence said of the product offered in both a sachet and tube.

He declined to give numbers, but said that KomeFast offered one of the fastest-growing products in the company’s catalogue.

“There is a lot of controversy over bleaching. We thought it would be good to make a product that was safe and allows both men and women to tone their skin in a safe way,” he said, adding that the product is “authorised by the Ministry of Health” for manufacturing and sale to the Jamaican market and has also been “assessed” by the Bureau of Standards Jamaica.

The Observer up to print was unable to corroborate that statement.

Lawrence indicated that some women use harmful chemicals (even hair bleach) to lighten skin, but that “It’s better to have a certified product” to avoid damage.

With a current staff of 50, Orion Sales has been in manufacturing for nearly 40 years at its factory in St Thomas. It locally manufactures lotions, shampoos, hair treatments and relaxers for the international renowned brand, Revlon and Crème of Nature.