– ASIAN ETHNIC SKIN: SPECIALTY CORRECTIVE COSMECEUTICALS FOR ASIAN ETHNIC SKIN CARE

PART 3.2.3

ASIAN ETHNIC SKIN: SPECIALTY CORRECTIVE
COSMECEUTICALS FOR ASIAN ETHNIC SKIN CARE

Authors: Eva Patel & Gurpreet (Gogi) Sangha

Eva Patel

Skin Rx Inc.

Founder & CEO

eva@skinrx.com

www.skinrx.com

Gurpreet (Gogi) Sangha

G.S. Cosmeceutical USA Inc.

Founder & CEO

gogi@gscos.com

www.gscos.com

ABSTRACT

The darkening of skin color in larger segments of the world’s population is an emerging trend according to numerous projections. Concomitant with this change is that new, specific skin care needs are an emerging opportunity for product development in these growing markets. To serve these needs, professionals have to be abreast of the needs of this new and growing sector and they must understand this diverse global consumer. This chapter focuses on Asian ethnic skin, which is a new category as defined elsewhere in this book and known as EP V-VII in the EP Global Skin Classification Scale.

By 2014, skin care will increase its already-sizeable lead in the beauty market to reach $91 billion (Euromonitor International). This increase is driven primarily by expansion of opportunities in the Asian market. Even in USA the Asian population grew faster than any other major race group between 2000 and 2010, increasing by 43% (U.S. Census Bureau).

By 2050, the U.S. population projections are that 51% of Americans will have skin of olive tones and dark-skinned racial backgrounds (Hispanics, Black, Asian, others) according to the PEW Research Center.

The most apparent difference in the skin of those from different ethnicities is, of course, the color, although there are also differences in skin thickness, vascularity, and predispositions to certain skin conditions and diseases. Pigmentation disorders are a primary concern for Asian ethnic skin as well as a tendency for acne for those with normal to oily skin.

The ingredients and methodology applied in creating effective corrective cosmeceuticals for this segment of the population must take these ethnic skin differences into account. Multiple symptoms and conditions, such as hyperpigmentation with oily skin, can then be treated with today’s sophisticated formulations.

Market research shows that consumers are streamlining the number of products they buy and focusing on products that are targeted to correct more than one condition. It is therefore important for industry professionals to focus on development of “necessity products” in these skin care ranges.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

3.2.3.1 Defining the Asian Ethnic Market

3.2.3.2 Differences Between Content Levels of Melanin in the Skin

3.2.3.3 Common Skin Conditions for Ethnic Skin and
Treatment Methods 

3.2.3.4 Tips to Achieve Healthy, Beautiful Skin

INTRODUCTION:

In modern-day India, a woman’s worth is all too often determined by the color of her skin. In India, beauty lies not only in the eyes of the beholder but in societal pressure to be fair-skinned. Arranged marriages are still popular and mothers seek fair-skinned brides for their sons; in fact everyone seeks such brides/grooms. Being dark is undesirable and affects the marriage process; a darker-complexionrf girl, even with beautiful features, is not considered beautiful. Billboards all over India promote fairness, and ads on TV promote fairness with success and beauty.

Culturally this applies to Indians living in foreign countries as well: fair is considered beautiful. My personal experience in the west has been that Asians want lighter complexions and Caucasians want to be darker and tanned. It’s like wanting what is not real. I feel we should all be happy with the complexion we are born with and not let societal or cultural pressure tell you otherwise. Taking care of your skin and bringing it back to optimum health by using good products is a necessity and no longer a luxury.

3.2.3.1 DEFINING THE ASIAN ETHNIC MARKET:

Pale skin has always been the ideal for women in Asian cultures for a long time. It has nothing at all to do with wanting to be more “white” in the racial or cultural sense. Up until the 1920s pale, unblemished skin for women was the ideal in western cultures as well. Browned skin was undesirable, since it was considered a trait of only the poor who endured hard labor outdoors. Well-off women used to apply all kinds of products to their skin to whiten them, and both Chinese and Japanese cultures have proverbs that imply “a white skin hides other flaws.” Those sayings have existed for ages.

All across Asia, fair skin is highly prized. In dark-skinned South Asia, a fair complexion is considered the epitome of beauty while in already pale-skinned North and East Asia, pearly translucent white skin is a sign of affluence and glamour. In Asia, many people associate dark and tanned skin with menial work in the fields under the hot sun, and a pale complexion with a higher social standing and cultural refinement. Since the 1970s, Asia has been the fastest-growing sector in the global skin-lightening market. Asia is a lucrative market with high-growth potential because of a rising middle-class with increasing disposable income and centuries-old entrenched cultural impressions of beauty.

India’s domestic cosmetics industry is expected to grow to US$3.6 billion by 2014, according to the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India. The skin-lightening cream market alone was worth US$432 million in 2010 and growing at 18% annually.

In Japan the cosmetics industry is growing at 17% a year and is expected to continue that rapid pace for a few more years at the very least, largely because of the hundreds of millions of emerging middle-class women who are spending their money on cosmetics. (1)

In China, where the skin care market is worth more than 35 billion yuan (US$5.5 billion), whitening products comprise a whopping 71% of the market. Elsewhere in Asia, a survey by the London-based market research firm Synovate found that four out of ten women in Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, and Taiwan use a skin-whitening cream.

The cosmetics industry has also started to target men, selling them the same idea that a fairer complexion would make them more attractive. While skin-lightening products for women have been available for decades, products for men have only appeared in recent years, a trend that is rapidly growing. (2)

Japan dominates the global skin lighteners market with the lion’s share, as stated in the new market research report from Global Industry Analysts, Inc. (GIA). The market for skin lighteners in Asia-Pacific is projected to cross the $2 billion mark by 2012, driven by the fast-growing markets of China and India. Apart from Asia, Western countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom are emerging as potential markets for skin-whitening products. The growing proportion of ethnic groups—Asians, Hispanics, and African Americans—in these regions is a major contributor to the enhanced demand for skin lighteners.

In Asia, skin-whitening products are very popular. The West seems to believe that these products are made because Asians want to become more Western, which isn’t true. Fair skin has been a staple in beauty for Asian cultures for centuries; even old paintings in Asian cultures portray women as fair with flawless complexions.

Western society’s obsession with skin tanning is well recognized, but we’re often less aware of the aggressive pursuit of fair skin by those with darker skin. In communities where light skin is associated with success, prestige, and envy, women commonly turn to skin-lightening products to achieve and maintain their desired complexion.

In India, the appeal of fair skin is deeply rooted in the nation’s culture and the caste system. Higher caste members traditionally had lighter skin and were less likely to be involved in manual work. Many years later, the ruling colonials had fair skin. And in the last century, film, TV, and advertisements have been saturated with images of attractive western actresses with fair skin. Skin-lightening creams are reportedly the most popular product on the Indian skin care market, with around 60% of Indian women using the products daily.

Data as at May 11, 2011. Source: United Nations World Population Prospects, Haver. Size of bubble indicates 2012 population.

Global diversity continues to grow throughout the world as Asian ethnicity remains a constant that makes up the majority of the world’s population. The need for an assortment of products that are relevant to the specific multicultural market continues to drive research and technology in the skin care industry. Although Asian ethnic skin care products exist, the market struggles to find skin care products that are optimal in addressing their particular needs. It’s important for brands to connect with ethnic consumers and address specific concerns to a wide array of skin types. Women and men of color around the world experience very distinctive issues related to their skin types, and the amount of pigment varies significantly between many ethnic groups. As noted in the EP Global Skin Classification Scale, each region/race has its unique skin color, characteristics, and related skin conditions.

A. Mediterranean/Asian I (EP Global Skin Classification V)

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, UAE, Uzbekistan, Yemen

B. Asian II (EP Global Skin Classification VI)

Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, East Timor, Vietnam

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