Face time with the Malaysian Woman
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 09:15AM Tan Jung Yee (@jungyee_tan) and Shruti Saxena (@shruti_saxena), Kuala Lumpur
It is no secret that every woman strives to retain youthful, healthy skin to present her best self to the world. This age-old love for beauty and youth has been sustained with home remedies to nourish skin and give colour to complexion. Today, cutting-edge science is constantly infused into the development of cosmetic products. More than that, the advancement of technology and globalisation over time has changed beauty trends and practices throughout the world, and Malaysian women are no exception.
Cosmetics help women enhance their beauty and realise their idea of perfect self. Depiction of the ideal woman in the media influences beauty trends, rightly or wrongly. Market needs and demands affect product creation. Specifically, there is a high demand for skin whitening products, fat-busting creams and skin mattifying products in Malaysia.
A whiter shade of pale
Skin whitening products in Malaysia
In Malaysia, like most Asian countries, the colour of money is white. Just ask any cosmetic company with a range of skin-whitening products. Cosmetic companies milk (pun intended) Asian women with their skin whitening, lightening and brightening products, exploiting the HUGE obsession with fairer, whiter skin.
Skin care companies that have developed whitening lines just for Asian women are enjoying dramatic, double-digit sales because of fanatic users of these products all across Asia, Malaysia being no exception.
Fuelling the dizzying growth of skin whitening products is Malaysian women’s simple desire to have whiter skin in the same way that most Europeans with fair skin soak up the sun, load up on tanning lotions and frequent salons to look sun-kissed. The simple equation that defines the average Malaysian Snow White Wannabe is:
Fairer skin = younger and more attractive to the opposite sex
In a random voxpop of 30 Malaysian women of all three ethnic groups – Malay, Chinese and Indian -70% stated that they feel more attractive with a fairer complexion. Some also associate fair skin with “cleanliness” and “affluence.” Evidently, in the west if you’re rich and classy, you drive a BMW. In Asian countries (Malaysia included) the same is perceived based on skin colour!
Skin whitening is an escalating trend in Malaysia and is here to stay - happily ever after. For those who have yet to visit to Malaysia, note - It’s good to be fair! TV stars are fair! Models are fair! Mostly in glossy mags, everyone is airbrushed till they look fair!
The addiction to make-up does not come cheap
Malaysian women and their love for make-up
With their clever marketing ploys and promises of youthful skin forever, cosmetic companies have Malaysian women in their tentacles! The addiction to make-up does not come cheap. But with the rise of disposable income and increase in working women, money is no object when it comes to looking good. Malaysian women fork out approximately US$250 a month on cosmetics. According to the Asia Pacific Cosmetic and Toiletries Market Overview, Malaysian women spend US$600 million on cosmetics annually! That’s true love right there!
Dull down the summer shine. Please?
Malaysian women turn to “mattifying” make-up
Shine does not equal glow. Who would know this better than the average Malaysian constantly exposed to hot and humid weather that draws oil from skin. Make-up-aholics turn to products that control the oil that threatens to jeopardise their appearance. A country that is perpetually HOT HOT HOT and HUMID demands skin care products that are cooling and soothing, more importantly, mattifying! Malaysian women constantly look for products that blot away shine, unclog pores and prevent blemishes.
Flab-less is Fabulous!
Malaysian women shed the pounds
It comes as no surprise that Malaysian women, like women all around the world, obsess about their bodies. It’s been said that a woman can never be too thin. In an attempt to maintain hourglass figures, Malaysian women turn to weight loss and anti-cellulite products to cut the fat. This trend is common mainly among the Malay and Indian ethnic groups and less popular among the already slim-waisted Chinese. A major contributor to weight gain can be attributed to staple of traditional dishes and dietary preferences that are rich with carbohydrates and laden with coconut milk and oil.
Beauty Divas and Style Icons
Setting an example among Malaysian women
Style icons and top lifestyle and beauty bloggers are key influencers when it comes to cosmetic brands and beauty trends. Celebrity associations work well with beauty products. Local star singer Siti Nurhaliza, a Malaysian equivalent of Mariah Carey, successfully launched her own brand of beauty products, SimplySiti. Simply put, she is the diva to end all divas in Malaysia! Gorgeous and relentlessly glamorous, SimplySiti has set a standard for Malaysian beauty.
While Siti paves the way for women across the nation, another popular trend is setting standards for beauty - “online tutorials”. These tutorials are MAGIC – helping less sophisticated women with easy make-up tips for blending, mixing and application. Audrey Ooi is only one of many local bloggers that shares with her readers how to achieve Japanese styles.
The magic of make-up has most Malaysian women entranced (and we’re both included in this category). Make-up is femininity made tangible and Malaysian women are ready to grab their brushes and palettes in their quest for external and eternal beauty!
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