Clearer skin. A translucent complexion. Porcelain perfection. However you refer to whitening, there’s no doubt that it’s become an obsession. Aileen Lalor strips down the process for you: all the latest must-know launches broken down according to product type – and how they promise to brighten your face.
Oil
Like the label’s Le Blanc serum, Chanel’s Le Blanc Huile Healthy Light Creator Oil contains ume flower – known for its repairing, anti-melanin and anti-sallowness properties – except that it’s now infused into an oil base. Use it nightly after lotion and pre-serum for clear, healthy and radiant-looking skin.
Moisturiser
Offering hydration alongside whitening benefits, Laneige’s White Dew range is said to inhibit the over-production of melanin with the brand’s Mela-vita Crusher, a patented ingredient made up of the herb Saururus Chinensis (aka Asian lizard’s tail), truffle extract and vitamin B5. Joining it now is the White Dew Sherbet Cream, which gets its name from its cool, melt-upon-application texture – it’s said to be so refreshing that it’ll relax tired skin, in turn making it appear clearer and more transparent.
Moisturiser
Similarly, La Prairie’s White Caviar Creme Extraordinaire contains a patented ingredient that suppresses melanin production: Lumidose, said to be the most effective at doing so after the brand screened a total of 50,000 ingredients. Thanks to it, this rich moisturiser reportedly helps fade dark spots while reducing the formation of new ones, making the complexion more even. Meanwhile, the addition of golden caviar – present in the entire White Caviar range – lends a firming effect.
Masks
For sticky, non-drippy sheet masks, Taiwanese brand For Beloved One has long been a favourite go-to. Its latest, Flawless Brightening Ethyl Ascorbic Acid Bio-Cellulose Mask, boasts a form of vitamin C that’s said to not degrade when exposed to oxygen. It also supposedly lightens dark spots, brightens and tightens the complexion, and reduces flushing.
Masks
For the leave-on variety, try SK-II’s Overnight Miracle Mask. It not only contains the brand’s famous Pitera to clarify skin, but also a derivative of the albizia plant – said to be good for hydration, which helps with whitening. Use one capsule after cleansing, and you can forgo the rest of your routine.
Serum
To protect DNA from epigenetic modifications (ie when genes are changed by non-genetic factors like sun exposure), Dior taps on a yeast extract for its Diorsnow Essence Of Light Brightening Milk Serum formulation, which is quasi-drug-certified in Japan. With a milky gel texture, it’s said to have soothing, whitening and anti-roughness properties – and promises to lighten one’s complexion by up to three tones in two months.
Serum
Also in a gel texture, L’Occitane’s Reine Blanche Whitening Infusion Serum is enriched with an extract of the anti-inflammatory meadowsweet flower from Provence, which the brand discovered to also have an illuminating effect on the complexion. The results: It hydrates, evens out skin tone and improves translucency.
Makeup
You might be wondering why we are including a sole cosmetic in this report – because Shiseido’s White Lucent Brightening Skincare Powder marries the instant brightening effect of the brand’s Radiance Maximising Powder with the benefits of its White Lucent skincare line (its main shtick: boosting luminosity quick). Beauty editors and the like adored it when it launched in 2011 as a limited edition product available only for a few months. Now it’s back again, while stocks last – you know what to do.
Sunscreen
Lightweight and intensely moisturising, Kiehl’s Ultra-light Daily UV Defense SPF50/PA+++ is not only be paraben-free, but also boasts anti-pollution technology. How this helps with whitening? Skin actually protects itself against external aggressors by producing excess pigmentation; deal with said external aggressors (like pollution) and you can prevent the loss of clarity.
Sunscreen
And while Lancome’s UV Expert Youth Shield Tone Up Milk isn’t sunblock per se (thanks to nourishing ingredients like coconut milk, it minimises pores, reduces the look of fine lines, and moisturises for eight hours), it has SPF50/PA+++ – impressive for a lotion (you can skip your usual sunblock). Why you should add it to your whitening arsenal: The addition of mother-of-pearl helps to instantly brighten.
Photography Julian Tan Styling Imran Jalal Hair Manisa Tan Makeup Melissa Yeo Model Lilly/Mannequin Necklace Dior
This story first appeared in Female’s March 2018 issue.
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