Based on an article published in CNN recently, the skin whitening industry is projected to reach $ 11.8 billion by the year 2026; an almost 50% increase from its market value in 2020, $ 8 billion. The industry especially targets women of colour and the numbers show that the Asia-Pacific region is the highest contributor to the global market of the skin whitening industry. In 2018, the Asia-Pacific region alone contributed to over 50% of revenue in the industry with China, India, South Korea and Japan being some of the fastest-growing markets in the region. Skin whitening and bleaching have long existed in the world, however, the link of colourism to the growth of the industry has not been largely spoken about.
Have you realised most (if not all) of the beauty brands in the market tend to choose fairer skin models for their campaigns? This is largely due to an internalised ideology on beauty by the society which views fairer skin as more desirable. There is more pressure for inclusion now than ever with more advocates challenging the traditional beauty standards, however, we are far from the changes that are required to alter the mindset of the population at large. Beauty brands still extensively use words like “brightening” and “whitening” in many of their campaigns implying darker skin tone is not as desirable and champions a silent idea of “white supremacy”. Hence, when looked closely, the skin whitening industry rides on deep-rooted colourism and the inferiority that it has created centuries ago.
In many parts of the world, fairer skin is associated with wealth, better marriageability, greater job prospects and in the US, even biased prison sentencing. Ridiculous, but true! People with lighter skin tone tends to be associated with higher social standing due to a perceived notion that they need not toil under the sun for long hours and are privileged to work indoors unlike darker-skinned people. Not just this a flawed perception but the fact that so many “indoor employees” are underpaid is brushed aside and the unreasonable connection between skin tone and status seems to prevail to date. The CNN article depicted how the “desire for fairer skin” is linked to slavery, colonialism and colourism and how this has affected coloured people in different parts of the world including Africans, South Americans, Japanese, Indians and Middle Easterners. The obsession with fairer skin has undeniably affected people around the globe but what’s more bothering is its exponential growth and the consequent impacts on the enhancement of colourism and potential health implications.
The potential side effects from unregulated toxic substances in whitening products might not just damage the skin but might be harmful to one’s health. The three most common whitening active ingredients used in beauty products include steroids, hydroquinone and mercury. All these ingredients have deleterious effects on skin and health if used without proper regulation and for an extended period. The deep-rooted obsession with whiter skin has left many customers to jeopardise their health due to countless unregulated and unapproved products on the market just for the sake of better acceptance. In 2018, FDA released a warning statement to customers on injectable whitening products and their potential risks requesting customers to beware of the potential risks of unknown substances in the products.
The skin bleaching industry does not seem like it is taking a backseat, in fact, it seems to be propelling faster than ever, thanks to social media’s reach as a marketing platform. Hence, to challenge deep-rooted colourism or beauty standard is not going to be an easy feat and it will take us a long time before we could win the battle. However, we could start small by telling our kids that all skin colour is beautiful and teaching them to put intelligence and character above beauty. As consumers, support beauty brands that are more inclusive and celebrate every skin tone. And for that to materialise, you need to start realising that you are more than just the colour of your skin and whatever that tone may be, take pride in that!
Thanusha is a content writer under Headliner by Newswav, a programme where content creators get to tell their unique stories through articles and at the same time monetize their content within the Newswav app.
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