The Institute de Clarins is located on the third floor of Rustan’s Makati, nestled between U Night clothes and other hipster ephemera. Clarins has just launched its new range of skin whitening products, as have many other major cosmetic houses this month, but get this – only in Asia. Of course, on white people it would be redundant, while the Chinese, Japanese and Koreans have been, by tradition, notoriously chalky. It’s a culture thing. Filipinos, being a bit Chinese and a bit Spanish, probably do have an excuse as well. And everyone wants to improve on what they’ve got, right?
"Achieve perfect transparency," while a sound political platform, is actually Clarins White Plus’ tagline. I assume by transparency they are just being hyperbolic, after all, visible veins look unimpressive enough, seeing through to the bone would be a total turn-off. Famous white-skinned persons: Frosty the Snowman, Casper the Friendly Ghost, and Michael Jackson. The last claims to have vitiligo, a condition characterized by the lack of melanin, although I’m sure that’s not all he’s lacking.
On the other end of the skin spectrum is hyperpigmentation, which everyone suffers from in small amounts: acne scars, sun spots, and freckles, for instance, and the lighter-skinned one actually is, the more visible these will be. It is said that Asians are particularly prone to hyperpigmentation because of the thinner quality of their epidermis. And this, combined with the culture thing, is the reason for the recent rash – mind the pun – of products that claim skin whitening, all over beauty counters. Skincare technology has come of age such that the common methods of bleaching are considered as primitive as rolling your hair in Coke cans.
The new technology works at a cellular level, and is as nice and easy to apply as any lotion. As if we didn’t have enough to worry about, Clarins has discovered that hyperpigmentation can also be triggered from within the dermis. Whereas the old school thought that melanogenesis (the reaction that causes melanocytes to produce melanin) was triggered only by external factors (too much sun, pollution) and the outermost epidermal layer (inflammation caused by small spots, scratches, etc.), we can now be assured that damage to the lower layer, the dermis, caused by deeper penetration of UV rays, significantly releases unwanted free radicals, free radicals that disturb the normal activity of dermal tissues and aggravate the production of tyrosinase, that important copper-containing enzyme which stimulates the production of melanin.
Tyrosinase in action: Peel a potato. It blackens as it is exposed to air.
Tyrosinase inhibitors are the common ingredients in most of the new high-end whitening products. Clarins White Plus has patented its Lock Around System, which provides defense against all factors that cause skin hyperpigmentation. It consists of a new long-release form of vitamin C and a powerful raspberry extract. The system works by inhibiting tyrosinase, which then prevents melanogenesis. It also does a bunch of other skin-scientific stuff which may not be informationally relevant to the consumer, so let’s just say it works on the outer layer, the inner layer, and the melanocyte cells which produce the darkening material. What we are concerned about are the results – so, how does White Plus add up?
The Crystal Clear treatment is an hour-long relaxation-fest where your face gets smothered, smoothed, and slathered with layers upon layers of different toners and creams from the White Plus range. It is a deep-cleansing massage that gets rid of dead skin cells, excess oils and blackheads. With a heated bed gently grilling your upper back, sitar muzak in the background, and a constant rhythmic rub around the temples, you easily fall asleep, sound with the knowledge that the tyrosinase in your dermal layers are now being zapped to oblivion.
After the treatment, my face did look considerably lighter, brighter, and very clear. Tighty whitey, you could call it. My half-tan was completely rubbed out, but now I understand what they meant by "evening out the skin tone." Spottiness and blotchiness were minimized, and it was like I was never out in the sun at all.
Studies by Clarins have shown that regular use of the products will produce effective results within three months. The comprehensive White Plus line consists of:
• Detoxifying Cleansing Mousse – for makeup and dirt removal
• Tightening Whitening Lotion–toning lotion that preps skin for intensive products applied afterwards
• Total Whitening Essence – a triple action serum that is anti-dark spots, anti-aging, and anti-dull complexion
• All Spots Whitening Corrector – a small roll-on for target corrections
• Purifying Whitening Body Mist – micronized spray for exposed areas of the body (needs to be followed with an SPF sunblock)
• Hydrating Whitening Lotion – a daily moisturizer
• Repairing Whitening Night Cream – de-stressing, replenishing cream for relaxing sleep
Self-whitening, self-tanning – there’s just been this craze to do everything semi-artificially. Health and convenience are the primary reasons – why eschew careful lab studies and controlled environments when the hazardous natural world is just conspiring to make you blotchy and wrinkled? Whether it’s the ultimate translucently white shimmer you’re after, or the perfect air-brushed bronzed glow, right now, everything’s possible that comes in a bottle.