The Politics Of Skin Brightening

I am a bona fide skin-care junkie, and it’s not just because,
as a beauty writer, I’m paid to be. I sincerely love it. Perhaps
inevitably, this predilection has led me to try to learn everything I can about
Korean beauty. Any regimen that calls for using up to 15 different
products as part of a skin-care routine is something I can totally get behind.

But, in the process, I have been
confronted with some disconcerting items, and I’m not just talking about those that contain snail slime.
At issue: the liberal use of the word “whitening” on many of the labels. In the U.S., that word has racist connotations that make me very uncomfortable supporting or using
these products, not to mention nervous about the ingredients they might contain. To get a better handle on the marketing and social implications,
I hopped on the phone with Korean beauty experts, sociologists specializing
in race and skin color, and dermatologists who treat patients with a variety of
skin tones, to try to make sense of this whole concept.

What "Whitening" Means In East Asia    
Skin lightening is common
throughout the world, but with decidedly different origins depending on where you live, according to sociologist Evelyn
Nakano Glenn, PhD, a professor of Asian-American studies at the University of
California, Berkeley and the editor of Shades of Difference: Why Skin Color Matters. “In the case of the Far East,
in countries like Japan, Korea, and China, it doesn’t have to do with trying not to be Asian,” Dr. Glenn explains. “In those cultures, there’s a long
tradition for women of light skin to be equated with beauty, and also there’s a
class element. [It means] you’re not working in the sun, which is an important [distinction]
in an agricultural society.” 

Whitening Worldwide
We live in a global society, as evidenced by the fact that I can
buy all these Korean products relatively easily now. But, while the idea of whitening products sounds offensive to most of us in the States, they're popular in many countries. “The U.S., the Caribbean, and Africa were colonized by Europeans.
There’s a huge skin-whitening market in places like Ghana, South Africa, and
Jamaica,” says France
Winddance Twine, PhD, a professor of sociology at the University of
California, Santa Barbara, who is writing a book about the global skin-care industry tentatively titled, The Social Life of Skin. “[Skin-lightening] is not as visible in the U.S. today because of the
civil rights and ‘Black is beautiful’ movements. What makes this complicated is
that an Asian scholar might tell you — and this would be correct — that [the preference for light skin in Asia] predated
the transatlantic slave trade, which institutionalized color as a sign of slave
status.” 

No matter what the origins are, Dr. Twine points out that darker skin is
still generally socially stigmatized worldwide, and there are studies to support this assertion. One exception: lighter-skinned
people getting tans, which — in certain and time periods — has been considered a sign of wealth and social standing; a sign that you can fly off to St. Barths in the middle of the polar
vortex or that you’re part of the Southern California celebrity elite.

So, What Does It All Mean?    
This brings us back to these
imported Korean “whitening” products. By using them, are we tacitly supporting
“skin-color social stratification,” as Dr. Twine calls it? Well, while the wording suggests otherwise, these products aren't actually formulated to make your skin a lighter shade. Actual skin-bleachers are still readily available worldwide,
including here, and are marketed as such — often with questionable
messages — by big beauty companies. 

A lot of it comes down to semantics. Chang, who works with several
Korean beauty brands, says that she and her business partner encourage
companies to change the packaging to state “brightening” benefits before selling in the U.S. It’s a marketing strategy that goes both ways.
Western companies, from Vaseline to
Chanel, market the same products as “brightening” or “dark-spot correcting” here
and as “whitening” in Asia. "Language
really matters," says Dr. Twine. "In Asia you can say 'whitener,' in the Caribbean you can say 'bleaching,' in India you say 'lightener.' In the U.S. you say 'fade cream,' and if
you’re marketing to older women, you say 'anti-aging.'” But, it doesn’t mean
they’re all meant to bleach your skin. 

Safety Concerns

Two dermatologists — Alicia Barba, MD, who has a Miami-based practice, and Carlos Charles, MD, who started a practice in NYC specializing in darker skin tones — tell me that they’ve had patients who buy black-market products that they use with the goal
of trying to lighten their skin. Those can contain high doses of topical
steroids, mercury, or high-prescription doses of hydroquinone, a well-known and
controversial skin lightener. Mercury is toxic, and high doses of steroids on
the skin can cause severe acne, stretch marks, and skin-thinning. 

The punchline here is that of
the dozens of Korean whitening/brightening products I’ve picked up that have
English ingredient translations, I’ve never once seen hydroquinone listed (or, thankfully, steroids or mercury). But, it’s definitely a case of
buyer beware. If you don’t read Korean, you really
don’t know what you’re getting — and if there's a translation, it's important to make sure that it's complete and accurate. And then, there’s the worrisome example of Japanese brand
Kanebo, which back in 2013 had to recall its skin-lightening line after a proprietary synthetic ingredient caused side effects in
over 6,000 customers in multiple countries. So, without meaning to sound too fatalistic here, anytime you slap
anything on your face, you take a risk.

Who Should Use These Products? 
These
products are appropriate for anyone looking to even tone or fade dark spots,
which both Dr. Barba and Dr. Charles say is the number-one complaint of their
patients with darker skin tones. Looking to correct these blemishes is not a
sign that you want to change your skin color. In fact, Dr. Barba points
out that her patients never ask her for lighter skin, but rather to even the
tone they have. 

The most frequently occurring
ingredient I’ve seen in these products is niacinamide, which is also commonly used here
in the West, as a dark-spot fader and overall skin brightener and
conditioner. Desiree Stordahl, who contributed to the book Don’t Go to the
Cosmetics Counter Without Me and
who is a member of the Paula’s Choice research team, says: “When it’s a product that’s using a brightness
or radiance claim, typically in those you’ll see licorice-root extract,
niacinamide, vitamin C, or mulberry extract.” This observation is consistent with
the Korean ingredient labels I’ve gone cross-eyed trying to read. I’ve seen all
these pop up, as well as arbutin, ellagic acid, kojic acid, and fruit acids. According
to both of the dermatologists I spoke to, all of these have some action against melanin,
which determines skin color and causes dark spots. Dark spots are one of the enemies of having that elusive “bright”
skin — exfoliating dead cells and adding temporary topical luminizing ingredients
also both contribute to achieving overall brightness.

According to Dr. Charles, the
above ingredients are generally safe for all skin tones, though he notes that
OTC products for dark-spot correction, in general, are "meh" in terms
of how well they work. “Over-the-counter
skin-lightening products can fade dark marks, albeit minimally, with little
risk of surrounding hypo pigmentation [or loss of skin color]. While many of these products are
generally safe for most skin types, their efficacy may be limited,” he says.
You have to commit to using them pretty consistently to see results.

So, should you try these? If you’re concerned
about brightness, dark spots, or evening skin tone, no matter what your skin
color is, the answer is yes. If/when more Korean beauty companies start to hit big western retailers — like Laneige at Target and Belif at Sephora already have — consumers will send a message that calling something “whitening” is not okay. As
far as safety and efficacy, I’ve become comfortable with this category as long
as the products come from reputable retailers. After much research and reading — only a fraction of which I’ve shared with you here — I’ve tried several
options on my sun-damaged, dark-spotted skin. (I’m of Eastern European descent
and pale.) Here are three products that I’ve tried and liked, from vendors I trust:

Cremorlab Triple Bright
White Bloom Floral Cream, $72, available at Peach and Lily: It’s a multitasker that helps to even skin tone and moisturize.     

Goodal Luminant Plus
Whitening Essence, $45, available at Glow Recipe: This serum feels
non-sticky and super-nourishing. I use it to spot-treat my problem areas. 

Skinfood Deep Sea Water
Brightening Hydrogel Mask, $3, available at Soko Glam: This is one of my
favorite hydrogel masks, ever, and I’d be lying if I said the cool, undersea-themed packaging wasn’t part of the reason.