hello, beautiful   The way to clear, radiant and luminous skin lies in the potent ingredients in whitening skincare. JANICE YONG helps you makes sense of it all.     HERE’S A BEAUTY fact: whitening skincare is for everyone, regardless of your skin tone. And contrary to popular belief, it’s not for women who want to lighten their skin. Skin experts say that while you can become more tanned, you can’t get fairer, although you can get a clearer, more luminous complexion by inhibiting melanin production. Melanin is the pigment that gives skin its natural colour. There are two types: Eumelanin produces a range of brown while pheomelanin gives skin a yellow to reddish hue; the two combine to give you your skin tone. As melanin is your skin’s natural protection against UV damage, a tan is simply the skin’s reaction to sun exposure. In a perfect world, your skin would simply absorb the UV rays and produce melanin in exact amounts. But overexposure to the sun and not wearing sunscreen can lead to hyperpigmentation – the formation of uneven brown spots and skin discoloration, which Asian women are particularly prone to. The skin cells that produce melanin are called melanocytes. When skin is exposed to sunlight, an enzyme called tyrosinase is activated, which triggers off melanogenesis – a series of chemical reactions that leads to melanin formation. The result: darker skin. This is where whitening skincare comes in. Unlike the harsh whitening products of old, which stripped skin of pigment (to depigment), today’s ingredients control melanin production by inhibiting the action of tyrosinase. In their quest to unlock the melanin code, scientists have discovered the whitening action of certain food extracts, which can be found in the latest crop of whitening products.   au naturel glow Find out more about these popular whitening ingredients, all of which inhibit melanin production.     ELLAGIC ACID FROM Raspberries, strawberries, pomegranates, walnuts and pecans. WHAT IT DOES Protects against UV-induced skin pigmentation by inhibiting tyrosinase, acts as an antioxidant, and when consumed, may prevent certain cancers by preventing carcinogens from binding with DNA. FIND IT IN Lancome’s Blanc Expert NeuroWhite X3 range ($88-$150); Kiehl’s White Brightening Botanical Spot Treatment ($80); L’Occitane’s Immortelle Brightening Toner ($43) and Immortelle Renewing Serum ($94).       GLABRIDIN/ GLYCYRRHETIC ACID FROM Liquorice root extract WHAT IT DOES There is no research to say what concentration it’s most effective at, but glabridin/ glycyrrhetic acid is an antioxidant which inhibits tyrosinase activity. It also has anti-inflammatory properties – research shows that skin inflammation can lead to skin darkening. FIND IT IN Christian Dior’s Diorsnow Sublissime range ($58-$115); Lancaster’s Infi nite White range ($46-$112); Kiehl’s White range ($41-$87); The Body Shop’s Moisture White Softening Essence ($34.50) and Whitening Moisture Serum ($49.90).       ARBUTIN FROM The leaves of the mulberry, cranberry, blueberry and bearberry shrubs. WHAT IT DOES Arbutin (known as hydroquinone-beta-D-glucoside) is a derivative of hydroquinone, a skin-lightening ingredient. It’s effective at one to two per cent concentrations, found in doctor’s treatments; over-thecounter products have a much lower percentage. Its pure forms – alpha-arbutin, beta-arbutin and deoxy-arbutin – are considered more potent. FIND IT IN Kawaii Tokyo Sun Survivor SPF 50 PA+++ ($42); Sisley Phyto-Blanc Lightening Cleansing Milk ($180); L’Occitane Immortelle Brightening Smoothing Exfoliator ($59); Palmer’s Skin Success Eventone brightening range ($19.20-$29.90) and La Clinica’s Gly C Refi ne Whitening Serum ($89.90) and Whitening Cream ($42.90).     MAIN PHOTO GETTY IMAGES PHOTOGRAPHY CHARLES CHUA/A THOUSAND WORDS & RAYMOND LEE/CAPSULE PRODUCTIONS STYLING MICHELLE KUEK