The Asian Beauty Decoder by Asia CosmeLab

WHAT’S UP IN 2021 FOR WHITENING & UV PROTECTION?

Although Black Lives Matter movement had prompted most Western brands to change their naming or suppress some of their products line in 2020, Asian brands had had little reaction… Until now! The Japanese cosmetic group KAO has just decided to stop using the word “whitening” in their products.

Formaly, whitening category is described with Chinese characters 美白 = 美 for beauty + 白 for white. To be part of this category, specific registration has to be done and then support the allegation of ‘action against dark spots’ which is a key beauty concern.

Now, it is often replaced by ブライトニング = for brightening to highlight more global benefits on skin complexion fighting against dullness and glycation. Even though the category is likely to remain extremely active as UV protection (including blue light), lifestyle stresses (including lack of sleep) and aging solutions (against melanogenesis process for instance).

Let’s discover hereunder a glimpse of the latest trends for whitening / brightening & UV category in Asia, freshly coming from our latest Whitening & UV protection full report.