Beyond the pale

There’s not much use fighting it — the whitening phenomenon is here to stay, as evidenced by a whole slew of products unleashed by high-end beauty brands just in time for the summer. Instead of railing against old-school colonial mentality or not finding pride in one’s natural kayumanggi hue, I’ve come to accept that the desire to have lighter skin (mostly among Asians) is pretty much equal to the desire to sport a glowing tan in the Western world. They’re both about the appearance of good health and privileged social standing, and they conform to different cultural notions of beauty. At extreme ends, they’re both actually dangerous, i.e. bleaching your skin or overdoing it with the UV rays.

Many people will swing through the color spectrum, perhaps being carefree sun worshippers in their youth before realizing that sun damage is deceivingly accumulative. They start to learn to apply sunscreens, hoping to prevent themselves from becoming those wrinkled, spotty and leathery grandmothers who go topless on French beaches. The sun, at least in these parts, have become the Enemy, and reading the literature accompanied by these sun-blocking products can scare anyone into garbing oneself like a Korean tourist in Boracay. “Is there such a thing as a healthy tan?” asks one of Vaseline’s Enlightening Sun Facts. “A tan is simply the skin’s response to the sun’s damaging rays,” it chides. Branding strategy has morphed “whitening” into “lightening” and now “brightening,” to ease out the white-is-might stigma and focus on evening out the skin tone, erasing dark spots and imbuing the pinkish-white glow of an innocent, never-been-sunkissed youth. Here’s a roundup of the latest skin formulations to help your complexion get by unscathed during the darkening days of summer.

Shu UemuraWhitefficient Intense Whitening Essence

•Uses Mito-White complex with Ellagic Acid to intensely attack the source of spots and blemishes by protecting mitochondria against oxidative stress caused by UV rays

Whitefficient Pen 56 spot brightener

•An accurate, pen-type applicator that instantly brightens brown spots

•Uses the botanical exfoliator beech extract with the optical brightening effects of micro pearls and lighting diffusing particles

Kiehl’s Ultra Light Daily UV Defense SFP 50

•A balanced broad-spectrum sunscreen with antioxidant and moisturizing benefits.

•Its ultra light fluid texture doesn’t clog pores.

•Non-comedogenic and fragrance-free.

Acai Damage-Repairing Serum

•The ultra-concentrated serum contains 10 percent extract of acai berry which helps restore skin’s tone, texture and tightness.

•Provides light moisture to smooth skin and minimizes appearance of fine lines.

Dermatologist Solutions Ultimate White Collection

•A five-step program developed in response to evidence that Asian skin is more prone to hyperpigmentation.

•Formulas contain a whitening complex of stabilized vitamin C, plum fruit extract and other botanicals.

•Light reflecting minerals like mica, titanium and bismuth oxychloride visibly and immediately brighten skin for a radiant, porcelain-like complexion

Lancome Blanc Expert Melanolyser

•Uses a new strategy to stimulate melanolysis or dissolve melanosomes, which are responsible for dark spots and the “gray veil” complaint among Asian women

Maqui Blanc Miracle Natural Brightening Creator compact and fluid foundation

•Combines Lancome’s Aura Bright Technology with SPF to prevent the appearance of brown spots and protect the skin from effects of daily UV exposure

UV Expert Bright Eyes SPF 50 BB Base

•Protecting and illuminating eye “Blemish Balm” base for the eye contour

L’Oreal Revitalift White Day Cream SPF 18

•L’Oreal’s first skincare offering with a complete anti-aging plus whitening action

•Contains Pro-Retinol A to stimulate cell renewal and thicken the epidermis

•Vitamin B3 inhibits the melanin transfer to cells, preventing skin darkening and age spots

•SPF 18 provides protection from UVB damage

Shiseido White Lucent Intensive Spot Targeting Serum

•Lightens and brightens even stubborn spots in just two weeks

•Formulated with Yomogi extract which has the effect of accelerating cell division of inactive skin cells which hold melanin and the root cause of longterm spots

White Lucent Brightening Spot-Control Foundation

•Uses a color mixture effect based on trichromatic theory, so it works with the physiology of the human eye and how it perceives color

•A powerful whitening ingredient and m-Tranexamic Acid combine, creating the first quasi-drug (part cosmetics, part medicine) foundation in Shiseido history

White Lucent Brightening Spot-Control Base UV SPF 35

•A high-performing protector base with m-Tranexamic Acid which helps prevent and diminish dark spots

•Available in three colors to address particular skin concerns: ivory corrects uneven tone to create a bright, naturally bare look; green neutralizes redness to create a translucent and sophisticated look; pink corrects dull or yellowish skin to create a vibrant look