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Fairness Cream
From CopperWiki
Scientists say that skin color is determined by the amount and type of melanin, the pigment in the skin. They tell you that whether you are fair or dark is dependent more on genetic rather than environmental causes.
Yet, people all over the world are preoccupied with the colour of their skins. Fair skinned people in subtropical regions spend lots of time and energy getting tanned -- while darker skinned people in the tropics covet milky fair skin. In the US, where Barack Obama is in the final run up for the 2008 presidential elections, the question on everyone's minds is -- is America ready for a black president?
If you look at the last five hundred years of human history, humans have constantly labelled and stereotyped each other on the basis of skin colour. Be it racism, slavery or the Asian preoccupation with `fair' brides -- people have established a hierarchical color terminology in which darker skin is seen as being of lowest social value, and lighter skin of highest.
Herein lies the market and the rationale for fairness creams.
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[edit] Fairness Sells
Throughout Asia, the desire for fair skin goes back to the pre-colonial days. Fair skin is associated with elevated social status, while dark skin is attributed to the toiling masses. Fairness is considered equal to attractiveness. It is true the face contributes to one's first impression. Society today lays enormous emphasis on physical appearances of people. And fairness sells everywhere.
While dark skin is identified with the toil and sweat of hard labor in the fields, fair skin is associated with a genteel, upscale lifestyle. In India, Brahmins, the priestly caste at the top of the social hierarchy, are believed to be fair because they traditionally stayed inside, poring over books. The untouchables, at the bottom of the ladder, are regarded as the darkest people because they customarily worked in the searing sun.
Aside from India, which has the largest fairness cream market, the areas that see a tremendous demand for this product category are Saudi Arabia, other parts of the Gulf, Africa, Malaysia, Thailand and the Far East. Color bias in this region comes out most blatantly in marriages.
Several local, national and multinational companies such as Unilever PLC, Beiersdorf AG and Avon Products Inc, Emami are cashing in on this trend. There is a marked preference for fairness creams all over Asia. Fairness is as much a desired attribute in these parts, as blonde hair is in the West.
[edit] Fairness Cream for Men
The market for men’s cosmetics is growing the world over. In keeping with this trend most major companies have launched fairness cream for men and having various degrees of success. Asian men no longer believe that fairness is only for women. Indian men, as well as their counterparts in other Asian countries, including Korea and Japan are turning to fairness cream. According to trade analysts, men’s fairness products is valued at Rs 30 million, and constitutes 35 percent of the market.
[edit] Unfair Fairness
Time and again it has been proved in scientific journals that fairness creams don’t make one fair. Here's what they can do --
- They may help maintain status quo
- They may contain sunscreen which controls tanning
- They may contain hydroquinone, a chemical that has a bleaching effect.
However, fairness creams may also contain chemicals that can be harmful. Before you use a fairness cream it is better to check out what they contain.
- In a test at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Honk Kong on 36 fairness cream brands made all over the world, it was found that eight of them made in China and Taiwan had more mercury contents than prescribed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
- Some formulations contain Hydroquinone, an effective whitening agent, but known to cause skin irritation. Normally used in fairness creams in very small concentration (less than 1 percent)
- Another common ingredient in that tyube of fairness cream is Kojic Acid, a Vitamin C derivative with characteristics to block melanin production in the skin. Melanin, or the brown pigments in skin layers, are responsible for darkening the complexion.
- Retinoic Acid, a vitamin A derivative which helps peel off the surface layers of skin, thereby getting rid of dark pigmented skin cells, is also used sometimes. In the process, the lower layers of the skin, which are somewhat lighter, come up to the surface.
- Some creams largely use Plant Extracts which have mild whitening qualities such as liquorice, blackberry, mulberry, grapeseed etc.
Any of these ingredients can cause side effects ranging from irritation, allergies to sun sensitivity. It may be advisable to test out a fairness cream by using it first on a small portion of your skin to find out your sensitivity to the ingredients.
[edit] Home Recipes
Fairness may not be the most ideal goal to strive for, but for people who do need to get rid of that tan, here are some easy and safe home recipes.
Mix half cup of oatmeal and mashed apple and half tablespoon fresh lime into a paste. Apply on face and leave for ten minutes
Mix the above ingredients and allow it to cool before applying.
- For Sensitive skin -- Apply mixture of one whole egg, one half cup cooked oatmeal and 1 tbsp almond oil. to face and wait 10 minutes. Rinse off with lukewarm water.
- For Normal Skin -- Apply a mixture of turmeric powder, milk, wheat flour, lemon drops. Apply on face and leave for half an hour. Rub thoroughly and rinse with water.
All these home recipes must be ideally supplemented with a proper diet including lots if fresh vegetables, fruits and plenty of water (8-10 glasses of water daily).
[edit] Did You Know?
- Medically, dark skin is believed to be less vulnerable to skin diseases than light skin. More melanin in dark skins provides protection from the sun and, in turn, disease. Light skin contains less melanin and thus less protection.
[edit] The Fairness Debate
The debate over safety of fairness creams have been raging over the years not only in India but also in countries such Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan.
For decades women in the Arab world, Asia and Africa have gone through the process of using all manner of skin-lightening creams which contained lethal doses of mercury and hydroquinone. Though worldwide use of mercury in skin-care products was subsequently banned, hydroquinone continued to be accepted as the medical cure for skin discoloration. Though not all fairness creams are harmful, some lesser known brands contain hydroquinone which strips off the outer protective layer of the skin in order to make it look lighter. Some powerful steroids are also harmful when used in fairness cream.
The medical fraternity is of the opinion that even some of the popular brands of fairness creams too contain harmful chemicals which are not declared by the manufacturers. Dermatologists are of the opinion that there can be no fairness cream without skin-bleaching agents such as hydroquinone, steroids, mercury salts and a number of other ingredients, including bismuth subnitrate, hydrogen peroxide, magnesium peroxide and zinc peroxide.
Scientists in Unilever, makers of the largest selling Fair & Lovely, assure that their product "lightens skin safely and reversibly through a synergistic and patented combination of" Vitamin B3 (niacinamide) and a mixture of US FDA- and EU-approved UV-A and UV-B sunscreens. Ayurvedic Fair & Lovely also contains natural skin-lightening agents such as Kumkumadi Tailum. Major brands’ claims of offering fairness in 4 to 6 weeks, though apparently believable to the masses, are strongly contested by dermatologists who continue to feel that it is not possible to make a cream which makes one fair without the use of such harmful chemicals.
[edit] Asian Market
The Asian whitener market is estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Japanese women have a wide variety of fairness products offered by multinational companies. In the Philippines the fairness cream market is dominated by the Block & White lightening line launched in 1994 by Metro Laboratories Inc., a firm in Manila.
Though India is proceeding fast towards modernity, desire for fair complexion continues to remain ingrained in its culture. No wonder the market in India is growing at the rate of 20 percent per annum, according to ORG Marg, a renowned market research group. South India is the largest market with 36 per cent contribution, with the North and West equally contributing with 23 per cent. The East contributes 18 per cent to volumes. Unilever, with its brand of Fair & Lovely commands the biggest market in India with an estimated annual turnover of $ 60 million. The company is also exporting Fair & Lovely to countries like Malaysia and Sri Lanka as well as to North African countries such as Morocco. Emami Ltd, makers of Naturally Fair and Fair & Handsome Fairness Creams, are extending the reach of their products in the Middle East and Asian countries.
[edit] References
- Fairness Creams in South Asia
- Especially in India/Fair Color as a Cultural Virtue
- Fairness in a bottle
- Yahoo Answers
[edit] See Also
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