[Photo: Shiseido whitening ambassador Hong Kong actress-singer Miriam Yeung (centre) is seen here with (from left) Japanese beauty queen Miyako Miyazaki, South Korean actress Amy Lee, Thai model-actress Janesuda Parnto and Taiwanese actress Cheryl Yang, who took part in a panel discussion on skin whitening.]

On a crisp winter day earlier this year, some 40 fashionably clad Asian beauty journalists made their way through the grand entrance of Tokyo's National Museum.

Instead of checking out the museum's famed collection of kimono textiles and kabuki costumes, however, they were there to attend a forum on skin whitening.

Organised by Japanese beauty giant Shiseido, the session kicked off its product launches for the year.

A Japanese academic gave a lecture on women's pursuit of fair skin throughout history, followed by a panel discussion involving four young celebrities - Taiwanese actress Cheryl Yang, South Korean actress Amy Lee, Thai model-actress Janesuda Parnto and Japanese beauty queen Miyako Miyazaki.

The company, which started life as a pharmacy in 1872, is capitalising on its research and development strengths in order to capture more of the whitening market said to be worth $18 billion in Asia.

It also reportedly plans to spend US$22 million (S$33.5 million) - 10 per cent of its revenue - to boost sales of its luxury brands, as well as lift sales of its whitening products by 15 per cent compared to last year.

Top markets for the brand, in terms of whitening lines such as its Revital and White Lucent ranges, are Taiwan, China and Hong Kong.

In Singapore, a starter kit ($115) to promote Shiseido whitening products, which includes travel-sized bestsellers from its White Lucent series, was launched earlier this year.

This month, Shiseido rolls out a reformulation of its Revital White series and next month, it will unveil a whitening item for the neck and decolletage area.

The term 'whitening' is still controversial, because of associations with racial supremacy and a colonial mentality. However, Shiseido is quick to point out that the concept of whitening has changed over the years to encompass the idea of restoring skin to that of a newborn's.

As Kimie Iwata, executive vice-president and representative director of Shiseido, put it: 'We want to praise the original state of the skin, regardless of the user's ethnicity.'

Meanwhile, the forum's keynote speaker, Dr Kaori Ishida, an associate professor at Komazawa Women's University who studies the links between beauty and culture, argued that a fair appearance is universally perceived as elegant.

She added: 'Even if you come from a culture that does not have a colonial past, it's common to associate a person wearing white with purity and beauty. It all boils down to the idea of good versus evil, darkness versus light.'

The five active ingredients developed by Shiseido and approved by the Japanese government for use in whitening products are arbutin, an extract derived from the leaves of bearberry, cranberry, mulberry or blueberry shrubs and most types of pears; two forms of stabilised vitamin C derivatives, which help to give a translucent effect to skin; m-Tranexamic acid, which is said to target chronically inflamed spots and pigmentation on the skin; and 4-methoxy salitylic acid (4 MSK), a blemish whitening agent.

Addressing safety concerns over the use of whitening products, Kiyoshi Sato, research scientist at the Shiseido Research Centre, acknowledged that certain active ingredients have been banned in Japan and elsewhere after fears of health risks. This includes hydroquinone, a strong inhibitor of melanin production which has been linked to allergies and cancer.

However, the Japanese government's stringent criteria before active ingredients are approved ensure product safety, he said. Only one active ingredient is allowed in each product to prevent users from damaging their skin with overly strong formulas.

Sato's secret fantasy is to invent something that will satisfy everybody: a device that allows people to change the shade and intensity of their skin at will via remote control.

'People in Europe often want to be more tan. People in Japan want to be fairer. They could all use such a product,' he said with a grin.