The Global Skin Whitening Market

Market Research and Target Identification

INTRODUCTION The current Skin Whitening Market is a global and growing highly profitable industry. The practice of Skin Whitening utilizes various botanical, biotechnological, and/or chemical agents on the skin to achieve a lighter skin tone or to diminish or remove the signs of aging.i For thousands of years skin-whitening agents have been utilized to lighten the color of skin, and in particular the face. White face paint containing lead was recorded by Xenophon in Athens in about 400 B.C.ii China and Japan also have a long history of face whitening dating back at least to the 13th century. The Chinese ground pearl from seashells into powder and swallowed it to whiten their skin, while Japanese Geisha powdered and painted their faces white with rice powder and lead-based paint.iii Face and skin lightening became popular in India, the rest of Asia, and North America in part as a side effect of Anglo-Saxon colonialization. Native peoples with darker skin often showed a preference for fairer skin in identification with the powerful leaders of their countries. In the Western hemisphere, whitening the face was one of the most common practices from the 15th century on, comprised of powders utilizing carbonate, hydroxide, and lead oxide. Lead was not classified as a poison until 1634, and its use in facial paint and powders resulted in the deaths of thousands of women during this time, including Queen Elizabeth I.iv Whitening was also accomplished by bleeding using leeches or the technique called cupping. In the 19th century the lead oxide in cosmetics was finally replaced by zinc oxide.4 Over the last century the worlds obsession with whiteness has not faded. In the early years of the century, cosmetic or antiseptic soaps were produced with whitening ingredients such as toxic mercuric compounds, carboxylic acid, and its hydroquinone derivatives, in place of lead.v By the middle of the century the use of mercuric, carboxylic acid and phenol-hydroquinone was terminated, although many small manufacturers continued to supply these soaps. A ban on all of these ingredients in Africa, most of Asia, and the EU was complete by 2001.5 Despite the physical toll caused by the desire for white skin, a 2002 survey by Asia Market Intelligence revealed that three-fourths of Malaysian men, two-thirds of men in Hong Kong and half of all local women, thought their partners would be more attractive with lighter complexions. In that same year, almost half of Asians in the 25-34 year old demographic used skin whiteners.3 The contemporary market for skin-whitening cosmetics is divided into inexpensive but highly toxic products and more expensive but

safer skin-whitening products. The high-end skin-whitening market is anchored in Pacific Asia countries to meet the needs of affluent Asian women and men. Less affluent women in the global south and inside the global north continue to be sold toxic skin creams, the majority of these cosmetics contain hydroquinone and corticosteroids. Sales of hydroquinone based skin lighteners are illegal in the European Union, Pacific Asia and in African countries, while in the US sales of over-thecounter skin lighteners with 2% hydroquinone are legal.1 Drivers for the Skin Whitening market include both esthetics and safety concerns, resulting in significant increases in research and development and mass production of safer skin-whitening cosmeceuticals.1 Skin pigmentation is determined by genetics, aging, UV exposure, hormones and cytokines, and external factors such as stress and inflammation. Modern mechanisms for altering skin pigmentation include UV protection, control of melanogenesis, and desquamation of old keratinocytes,vi and biotechnology and botanicals are the major sources of new Skin Whitening cosmeceuticals. In addition, mega-trends towards natural products and beauty from within promote the use of food ingredients into cosmetic products that are ingested.vii The total market for Nutricosmetics in 2009 was valued at $2.10 billion and is expected to grow to $5.62 billion in 2015 with a compound annual growth rate(CAGR) of 17.8%, with the North America (NA) and EU nutricosmetic ingredients market valued at $228.7 million in 2009.7 The nutricosmetics market in the EU and Japan is well developed, while in the US it is still in its early stages of development.viii As of 2007 the US cosmeceutical market was worth $55 billion, while the nutricosmetics market was worth $1.5 billion with an expected growth of 11.2% through 2012 to a value of $2.5 billion.8 At the same time, the global skin lightening market is predicted to reach $10 billion by 2015, driven primarily by new markets in the West and sustained growth in Asia-Pacific.ix Japan dominates the global skin lighteners market with the Asia-Pacific market projected to surpass $2.0 billion by 2012, driven by rapid growth in China and India. India has the highest penetration of any market with almost 60% of skin care sales coming skin lightening products.x Western countries such as the US and UK are emerging markets for Skin Whitening products, with the growing proportion of ethnic groups (Asians, Hispanics and African Americans) in these regions.9 Skin lighteners are beginning to be identified as multi-usage cosmetic products. Products marketed as anti-aging remain most effective in the West, while overall skin lightening shows the greatest demand in the Asia-Pacific market. Similar to Asia-Pacific, demand in the Middle East is greatest for products maintaining an overall appearance of flawlessness with 3

light color and even tone.xi The global market is expected to demonstrate annual growth of more than 10% to a value of $15-20 billion, with major opportunities continuing to emerge from the rapidly expanding Asian economies.

REFERENCES Skin-Whitening and Sociology. A Sociological Perspective of Contemporary Dynamics of the Skin-Whitening Market. Amina Mire. In-Cosmetics. http://www.incosmetics.com/page.cfm/Link=395/t=m ii Paint researches and their practical application. Henry Alfred Gardner. Press of Judd & Detweiler, Inc. 1917. iii Skin Deep: Dying to be white. Marianne Bray. CNN. May 15, 2002. http://edition.cnn.com/2002/world/asiapcf/east/05/13/asia.whiten ing/ iv History of Cosmetics. Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. http://www.rpsgb.org.uk/informationresources/museum/exhibition s/exhibition04/musex04histcosm.html v History of skin lightening. Dermacare. London. 2007. http://www.natural-fairness.com/pages/history.htm vi Skin Lightening Skin Care Market in Japan. http://www.incosmeticsasia.com vii NA and EU Nutricosmetics Ingredients Markets: Market Challenges and Business Growth Opportunities. Frost & Sullivan. In-cosmetics 2010, 13 April 2010. Paris. viii New & Unique Innovations in the Beauty Market. Grail Research. February 2010. ix Skin Lighteners: A Global Strategic Business Report. Global Industry Analysts. July 2009. x From global to local: the impact of ethnic differences on the cosmetics and toiletries market. Briony Davies. Euromonitor International. April 2007. xi Global skin lightening market estimated at AED 36.75 billion (US $10 billion). 5 November 2009. Mena Report.
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