Yet another random tip.

[randomness]

In China, you should examine the sunscreen products carefully before you buy them. Available sunscreen often includes skin lightening additives. That's probably not what you want.

I noticed this while I was looking along the drugstore shelves for dry skin cream*. (Watsons, CapitaRetail Mall, Xizhimen.)

Another reported problem is that many local brands don't work, but that's a general problem with products in China.

*Also, you'll need plenty of moisturizer for Beijing. The city is dry, dry, dry: particularly in winter, but also early spring, late fall, etc.

Comments

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

Oh, no. They're actually responding to market demand. The labels do say quite clearly that they include skin lightener; it's a marketing point.

There are a lot of people in Asia (and in other places, for that matter) who desire lighter skin. Sunblock is sold in that context, and not as much for its sunburn preventing properties. Although people are becoming more concerned with skin cancer nowadays, sunburn isn't as great a concern as it is for people who start out with very light skin.

Personally, I think skin lightener is scary stuff, but I'm not an Asian female--and I'm also relatively light-skinned, and thus have some privilege there as well--and so I'm not being driven by the same social pressures to keep my skin light that Asian women often are.

Although I do appreciate having a parasol on sunny days. Even if I look funny carrying one (which I do; men aren't supposed to.)

[achinhibitor.livejournal.com]

I remember years ago a woman who had done Peace Corps work in sub-Saharan Africa. She mentioned that she would sun herself to get a tan; the locals would use skin whiteners. But as someone noted, "In any case, the constant characteristic of the 'beautiful' figure is this: it's rare, and it's difficult and expensive to attain."

[digitalemur.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I sort of see how that might work. If one doesn't burn as easily, but one wants to keep one's skin light, SPF + lightening agents is an attractive product. There's a way larger bunch of those folks in the market for sunscreen in China than in the US for instance.

I feel like I know multiple Asian folks who tan heavily and deeply quite easily when they go out in the sun, compared to me and my central European skin that burns and doesn't ever get very dark. I sort of see how it's a really noticeable effect, for many Asian folks. And in a culture where many, many people were farmers a generation or two ago, well, tanning isn't the status symbol it has become in white Western cultures.