India is still chasing the fairness dream
₹15,800 crore) in India last year, according to a NielsenIQ report. A quick search for #whitening on social media, especially on YouTube and Instagram, will result in thousands of videos offering DIY solutions (even pills). And dermatologists say that there are many who won’t hesitate to shell out a small fortune for fair skin.
“Brands might have moved from fairness to words like ‘glow’ and ‘clear’, but the meaning for a large audience remains the same," says Rashmi Shetty, cosmetic dermatologist at Ra Aesthetics & Dermatology. “A large set of people are obsessed with whitening—glutathione is the most sold supplement and vitamin C (known for brightening) is popular for this reason. Every pharma and cosmeceutical company sells these ingredients aimed at lightening," she says.
At her clinics in Mumbai and Hyderabad, the most enquiries come for peel and laser treatments such as Qswitch and Pico, used to remove pigmentation, scars and tans. On average, five out of 10 patients ask cosmetologist Geetika Mittal Gupta if there are skin-lightening treatments at her luxury skincare clinic chain Isaac Luxe, which has a presence in the National Capital Region, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune and Hyderabad. “Indians have thought of Caucasian skin colour as the prime idea of beauty.
Make-up brands in India didn’t have deeper shades until recently," says Dr Gupta. “This (desire to be fair) isn’t restricted to rural India. Financial independence is bringing more women in the cities to clinics as well.
Very often, it’s a personal choice." At cosmetic dermatologist Chytra V. Anand’s Kosmoderma clinics in Bengaluru and Chennai, over 35% of clients ask for full-body treatments such as lasers, peels, supplements and drips to look fairer. The age
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