Porcelain-White Faces

There is a baffling array of lotions and cremes in the store.   Though I can read labels in Katakana and Hiragana I still don't understand products well enough to purchase them.  But this "Elixir White" really got my attention.  It appeared to be more than a moisturizer.

What is a "white lotion?"  It sounds like something pale women don't need.   The Japanese news ran a story this week about the popularity of such whitening lotions so now I understand.   And I went to Wikipedia to learn more...

 Bihaku is a Japanese marketing tool meaning "beautifully white" and it was first coined in the 1990s with the emergence of skin whitening products and cosmetics.  Most of these items are facial cremes and not for the entire body.  For centuries the Japanese have considered unblemished porcelain-white facial skin to be the ideal.  There is an old proverb that "white skin covers the seven flaws," meaning a fair-skinned woman is beautiful regardless of her many unattractive features. Whitening cremes are particularly popular with middle-aged women, teenagers and those in their 20s.  Apparently some Japanese women even resort to unhealthy surgical procedures to whiten their complexions.  I saw one woman that truly achieved that ideal look; she had a porcelain-white doll face and seemed like she should be sitting on a shelf.  Indeed she drew many sideways glances.  Now I understand what many women are hoping to achieve.