Tightening / lightening products for the nether regions: empowering?

Controversial ​

Intimate products recently launched by two separate Indian companies have sparked widespread debate amongst the media and bloggers alike and women in particular are voicing concerns as to whether they are purely just cashing in on female insecurities.

Ultratech’s tightening cream, ‘18 Again’ is the most recent product to come under the spotlight with an advertisement that features a woman dancing around with a very happy looking husband singing ‘Madonna's Like A Virgin’ as a result of using the personal care product.

According to Ultratech’s managing director Rishi Bhatia; "18 Again has the power and the potential to break the shackles and redefine the meaning of women empowerment altogether."​

Meanwhile, online Indian news magazineTehelka.com, reported that Nagessh Pannaswami of Curry Nation, the creative agency behind the advert said that the product was empowering because; “it's not just about sexual pleasure, but also about preventing infection, and making older women feel good.”​

A good example?​

Back in April, a feminine hygiene product in the form of a shower gel promoting ‘fairness’ of the genitals came under fire as some claimed sexism, others worried about the negative effects on youngsters, while some even put forward the argument that Caucasian women wearing tan is in essence - the same thing.

Again, it was the advertisment that seemed to add fuel to the fire, which featured a scenario whereby an attractive lady struggles to attract her man’s attention which - in a nutshell - seemed to be resolved after using the skin lightening ‘Clean & Dry Intimate Wash’.  

At the time, columnist Laskhmi Chaudry lambasted the product in her blog, expressing that: 'The campaign to eliminate the scourge of darkness has extended to every nook and cranny of a woman’s body' ​while Alyque Padamsee, an agency executive refuted declaring that; “Lipstick is used to make your lips redder, fairness cream is used to make you fairer-so what’s the problem? I don’t think any Youngistani today thinks the British Raj/White man is superior to us Brown folk. That’s all 1947 thinking!”​

Asia focused​

As the global skin lightening market is predicted to reach up to $10 billion by 2015, it is fair to say that Asia likes its fairness creams but have manufacturers gone too far this time encouraging women to go way beyond just bleaching their hands and face?

Well, as Cosmetics Design takes precedence in the Asia Pacific region with launch of its new website next week – CosmeticsDesign-Asia.com​, this is one area this publication will be keeping an eager eye on to see just how popular and empowering these products deem to be...