IT TAKES SPENDING SOME TIME in China – a land of Asians obsessed with blocking the harmful effects of the sun – to understand a rather unselfconscious and completely open desire to be fair-skinned. But a bleach-filled fairness cream has me balking – both at the thought of using the product (bleaching damages the skin, possibly even leading to sensitivity where it reacts to sun exposure negatively) and at the rather ‘unfair’ notion of dusky being any less than fair. On a recent trip to Shanghai to witness the unveiling of the newest Pond’s Institute, I began to understand what a brand like Pond’s means when it talks of skin lightening. It is an innocuous idea – very basically, it is about bringing your skin back to its original colour/ state, what it was when you were born. Their philosophy is that over the years, your skin no longer bears any resemblance to its original shade – the environment, sun and pollution have darkened it visibly. And this is what they are trying to fix, so using their products (they have a day and night version) helps bring back your skin tone to its normal shade. It is not a bleach-induced fairness, rather the active ingredient is VAO-B³, which comprises Vitamins E and B3, Allantoin (a bioactive that boots skin renewal and protects from the sun’s rays) and a breakthrough Optics System. There must be a safety aspect to lightening, I wonder – how far can you keep going? The principle is that constitutive skin colour is intrinsic: Pond’s doesn’t attempt to change that, but correct and even out the superficial skin darkening due to sun exposure. For older women, they suggest a skin lightening cream in the day and anti-ageing cream in the night, to blend both functions optimally.

After a tour of the facility and research centre, the conversation took a serious turn over delectable finger food. Think of the skin as a very delicate substance, which when left unattended, can become severely shell-shocked by strong light (artificial and natural), pollution, chemicals and excessive exposure to the environment, which is no longer as pure and toxin-free as it once used to be. While at the Institute – a spanking new and high-tech facility – the resident scientists and experts took us on a fascinating and slightly alarming journey, exposing the truth about our skin in its current condition. Having your face photographed by a machine armed with light that exposes all the horrors that lie beneath deceptively normal-looking skin is a nightmare we were all brave enough to experience. In retrospect, what were we thinking? I still have the digital printout hidden somewhere. To be referenced – never. It was a point well made – an effective way to point out that the mirror is unable to show you what is really going on. Fine lines, blemishes, age spots, sun-generated skin darkening that hover below the surface are all things which are waiting to be exposed, and unfortunately, by the time they are, the reality of the damage done is enormous.

Back in the city later that afternoon, we were guided to a spa to demonstrate what a good facial can do to remedy the effects of travel, daily environmental and sun damage and our own inherent skin weaknesses. The spa therapists used the Pond’s flawless white™ Vitamin Soak Lightening Mask – a mask that some swear by in that it gives the skin a deep-down whitening treatment, cleanses darkness-causing impurities and helps diminish dark spots. It’s not really a one-product-works-for-all formula, as much as the fact that skin type doesn’t differ between ethnic groups as much as the conditions and the environment of your geographical location. This particular one is made for Asian skin types. Half an hour of a fabulous face massage and pack later, we stepped out to palpable looks of astonishment. The evidence was there to be seen – our faces were visibly glowing, looking radiant, and definitely a tone lighter. This was in equal parts due to the excellent masseuse as well as the product. Feeling incredibly rejuvenated, we were ready to take on the evening of cocktails and conversation over a sit-down dinner of local delicacies, with a side discussion on the concept of youth and the gnawing desire to look and stay young as a part of a beauty regime.

While I may have come around to accepting that there is a place for taking your skin back to its original shade, I have yet to form an opinion on anti-ageing. I believe it is about ageing gracefully. White hair needn’t be coloured and hidden, and wrinkles are signs of wisdom. However, for those fine lines that make you seem to age faster than you want to (after all there is an undeniable premium on youth) it may not be a bad idea to try some anti-ageing creams, that act as a protector of what is, rather than the desperate clutch of nostalgia.

The virtual Pond’s institute at www.pondsinstitute.com gives women access to the Pond’s Institute skin experts. Surf for expert advice, links to the world’s view on skin care and beauty, conversations about beauty, information about the newest products and romantic inspiration.

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