White's all about

It’s been called a “national obsession,” much like our obsession with beauty pageants. What used to be a niche market is now the general market. Just try looking for a moisturizer without “skin whitening” ingredients and you’ll have a hard time finding one. Shelf upon shelf of beauty products now contain skin-whitening ingredients.  

Last week, Pond’s relaunched its three variants in its White Beauty Range: Pond’s Beauty Pinkish White, Pond’s White Beauty Detox, and Pond’s White Beauty Naturals.

Jacqe Yuengtian, brand manager for Pond’s Philippines, says that the brand’s reformulated skin whitening lines “now have 200 percent more whitening actives to effectively lighten skin and reduce blemishes to give women glowing, pinkish skin.” Jacque may be the perfect person to talk about skincare as her own face is blemish-free and seemingly pore-less!

How does skin lightening work and why do we get blemishes? Blame melanin for the latter, which is any naturally occurring pigment that gives coloration (from shades of yellow to brown to gray). While melanin helps protect the skin against the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation, melanoma may arise from cells that produce it.

White’s all right: The White Beauty Range is composed of Pond’s White Beauty Pinkish White, Pond’s White Beauty Detox, and Pond’s White Beauty Naturals.

Jacqe says, “Pond’s White Beauty creams all contain sunscreen to effectively protect the skin from the darkening and damaging effects of UVA and UVB rays. In addition to that, each the three variants in this range addresses of specific skin issues.”

Pond’s White Beauty Pinkish White is an all-in-one product that immediately improves skin tone. It is an overall whitening cream with a powdery finish to instantly mattify and whiten skin for that pinkish glow.

For me, the mattifying effect is the best feature of the cream. You don’t want a moisturizer that makes your skin shine like a firefly in the night.

Pond’s White Beauty Detox is for those struggling with pimples and the unsightly “souvenirs” they leave on your face. This formulation helps to get rid of unwanted marks and unsightly blemishes. Jacqe says it’s “great for pimple-prone skin because it has the most effective spot corrector in the White Beauty Range as it zeroes in on the dark spots and lessens pigments in scars, which would help even out the complexion and produce clearer skin.”

Jacqe says that more than fair/white skin, what women really want is even skin tone. It’s true, because unevenly colored skin looks like dirty skin, even — or perhaps especially — when skin is fair.

Pond’s White Beauty Range comes in sachets, too.

Pond’s White Beauty Naturals is a moisturizer designed for our humid weather. This is my kind of moisturizer, one that has an ultra-light formulation which, when applied, is instantly absorbed into the skin and you can immediately put on pressed powder or powder foundation without having to wait for it to dry out a little. This moisturizer contains camellia leaf extract to effectively lighten skin as well. It is not sticky or heavy, and you might even say it is the opposite of the hugely successful Pond’s Cold Cream, the thick cream that many generations of women have been using every day.        

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Pond’s White Beauty Range creams are available at supermarkets, department stores, and drugstores nationwide.