L’Occitane's Reine Blanche range 'brightening' up Asia

19-May-2015 - Last updated on 19-May-2015 at 13:28 GMT

L’Occitane has developed 'Reine Blanche', a whitening skin care range specifically for Asian women which features a plant - reine des pres (meadosweet), said to illuminate and brighten the skin in a 'gentle way'.

Traditionally, the white flower Reine des pres has been used in bridal bouquets in France.

According to Jenny Yap at L’Occitane Malaysia, what interested L’Occitane about the plant is its' ability to change colour when exposed to light, gradually becoming whiter.

Harvested for the cosmetics player in Drôme France, the flower also contains salicylic acid, known for its mild exfoliating action.

“The results and feedback garnered so far have been very encouraging. We have already received two local beauty awards for Reine Blanche’s UV shield SPF 50 and toner,” Jenny Yap reveals.

Tried and tested for Asia

The Reine Blanche range includes an 'Illuminating Foaming Cleanser', 'Illuminating toner', 'Whitening Serum', 'Whitening Cream' and 'Illuminating UV Shield SPF50'.

Each product has been designed to cater to each step of an Asian woman's beauty regime; hydrating, illuminating, moisturising, brightening and protecting the skin.

“The new program provides Asian women with a complete face-care ritual that preserves their skin’s radiance. Through this unique and luxurious ritual, an immaculately fair and luminous complexion is revealed,” adds Anna Leah R. Grape for L’Occitane Philippines.

The quest for brighter skin

According to Asia expert Alain Khaiat, lighter skin has long been associated with a higher ranking on the region - i.e. rich people lived in the house protected, while farmers worked in the fields outside.

The other reason the cosmetics industry veteran says, is physiological. The signs of ageing comes in the form of pigmentation irregularities on Asian skin, appearing as young as age fifteen.

The regulatory expert also says that international players need to understand that whitening should be understood as anti-ageing in Asia, and products in this category need to be marketed as a 'whitener' because that is what consumers are familiar with.

"If you market a product as an anti-ager, Asian consumers will think of anti-wrinkle' which is a skin issue they are not concerned with until their 40's."

"If you want to launch a product that caters to their biggest concern - pigmentation, you could market it as 'brightener' that promotes clearer, younger skin," he informs CosmeticsDesign-Asia.com, in an effort to clear up the confusion for the West.