MUMBAI: Mirror, mirror on the wall — who is the fairest of them all?
The one with the palest skin, of course.
Or that’s the idea behind India’s multibillion-dollar skin lightening industry, with a host of ‘fairness’ products appearing to offer dark-skinned Indians a lighter, fairer, better version of themselves.
Now the industry has come under fire after a popular Bollywood actor lashed out at India’s obsession with fair skin and highlighted a persistent bias against darker faces.
“You have to stop buying into the idea that a particular shade is better than others,” Abhay Deol, an actor known for playing offbeat roles, said on his Facebook page this month.
Deol lambasted his Bollywood peers — including Shah Rukh Khan, John Abraham, Shahid Kapur and Deepika Padukone — for endorsing so-called fairness brands and urged them to stop using their popularity to peddle products he called racist.
“(These) campaigns are blatantly, and sometimes subtly, selling you the idea that whiter skin is better than darker skin,” said Deol.
NOT FAIR
Controversy around ‘fairness’ products has raged for decades, with darker skin shades variously described as “dusky” and “wheatish,” and lighter tones sold as more attractive.
The market — which includes creams, face washes, deodorants, even a vaginal whitener — is estimated to be worth about 270 billion rupees ($4 billion) and is growing at a steady clip.
Unilever Plc’s Hindustan Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Nivea, Garnier and Emami are among those making fairness products.
Hindustan Unilever’s Fair & Lovely, launched in 1975, is India’s best known fairness brand, and claims to be the world’s first of very many skin-lightening cream.
Scientists say some contain harmful bleaching ingredients.
The World Health Organization banned the active ingredients – hydroquinone and mercury – from unregulated skin products.
Research firm Center for Science and Environment said in a 2014 study that nearly half the creams it tested in India contained mercury, which is “completely illegal and unlawful.”
A spokeswoman for Hindustan Unilever declined comment on the controversy.
CASTE AT ROOT OF RACISM
Some activists link the bias to an entrenched caste system, where higher-caste Brahmins generally have lighter skin.
In a country where arranged marriages are still the norm, matrimonial ads consistently describe a woman’s complexion, and dark-skinned women often pay a higher dowry, activists say.
Bullying and taunting of dark-skinned girls and women is common, while dark-skinned actors complain of fewer roles.
Advertising campaigns for various brands have typically depicted women — and increasingly men — as winning better jobs and partners, thanks to the fairness creams.
But Kiran Khalap, co-founder of brand consultancy Chlorophyll in Mumbai, said the adverts were not to blame.
“Our obsession with fair skin didn’t come from HUL or Emami: it’s a deep-seated cultural bias that equates being fair with being superior,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
“When a demand for a product exists, a manufacturer will cater to that demand. And people will buy that product, even without a Shah Rukh or a John Abraham telling them to buy.”
DARK IS BEAUTIFUL
Nor is India alone in buying into the ‘fairness’ dream.
Similar products are on sale in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and in parts of Africa, although India, with its population of 1.3 billion people, is a prized consumer market.
Ivory Coast and Ghana have banned cosmetics containing hydroquinone, which critics say can cause cancer. A similar ban exists in Japan, South Africa and the European Union.
Nivea recently pulled an ad in the Middle East with the tagline ‘White is Purity’ after it was slammed as racist.
Advocacy group Women of Worth launched a ‘Dark is Beautiful’ campaign in 2009 with the tagline ‘Stay unfair, stay beautiful,’ to fight the “toxic belief that a person’s worth is measured by the fairness of their skin.”
Members of India’s upper house have called for a ban on advertisements for fairness products.
There has also been legal action.
A Delhi consumer court said in 2015 said Emami’s advertisements for Fair and Handsome were a misrepresentation of the product’s effectiveness.
Emami has appealed the verdict. A spokeswoman for the company declined comment.
Just last week, Times of India, the country’s biggest English-language daily, ran a message about its popular matrimonial ads.
“Don’t you think it’s unfair to ask a girl to be fair and beautiful?” the message read. “Henceforth, we hope that matrimonial ads will inspire people to choose girls based on their education rather than only their looks.”
But filmmaker Ram Subramanian wants action, not words, and his video on the topic has been viewed almost 3 million times.
“Once upon a time slavery was acceptable, the caste system was acceptable, until someone said they were not,” he said.
“I want the government to ban these products because they cause so much damage,” he said.
($1 = 64.1126 Indian rupees)
Skin lightening under fire as Indians seek whiter shade of pale
Skin lightening under fire as Indians seek whiter shade of pale
Gigi Hadid, Imaan Hammam turn heads at the Met Gala
NEW YORK: A-listers at Monday’s Met Gala in New York included US Dutch Palestinian catwalk star Gigi Hadid, Dutch Moroccan Egyptian model Imaan Hammam, Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others dressed in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Hadid brought the drama in a look by the drama king himself, Thom Browne. Her white gown was adorned with 2.8 million microbeads with yellow flowers and green thorns. She was high glam in a wavy bob and crimson lips.
Hammam donned a two-piece ensemble — her outfit featured a cape, drawing inspiration from Swarovski's Gema collection, and a satin column skirt adorned with gold crystals.
Crafting the cape was an intricate process spanning 14 days. The cape incorporated over 3,000 crystals in six cuts and five vibrant hues while the skirt boasted over 100,000 crystals.
Meanwhile, Lopez went for silver leaves in a second-skin gown by Schiaparelli and Zendaya was all vamp and fantasy in a rare double appearance on the steps of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Lopez went with Tiffany & Co. diamonds, including a stunning bird motif necklace with a diamond of over 20 carats at its center.
Zendaya put on her fashion face in peacock hues of blue and green, with a head piece to match and leaf accents. The look was Maison Margiela by John Gallliano. She walked again to close the carpet in black Givenchy Haute Couture gown also by Galliano with a head piece stuffed with flowers by Alexander McQueen.
Mindy Kaling is sure to make the best-dressed lists in sand-colored swirls that towered over her head at the back. Her look was by Indian couturier Gaurav Gupta.
Penelope Cruz, meanwhile, went goth in black by Chanel. It had a bustier top and a Sleeping Beauty-like off-shoulder silhouette. There was another Sleeping Beauty-ish guest: Kendall Jenner in a Givenchy look done by Alexander McQueen in 1999.
Kendall’s sister, Kylie Jenner, was in an Oscar de la Renta low-cut strapless look, a white bloom in her clicked-back updo and a train behind. Older sister Kim Kardashian tightly covered up her silver corset look with a leaf motif by Maison Margiela with a gray sweater.
Bella Hadid celebrates fragrance launch in New York
DUBAI: American-Dutch-Palestinian model Bella Hadid celebrated the launch of her new fragrance brand, Orebella, at a party held over the weekend at The Huntress New York.
In typical Hadid fashion, she turned heads in an archival Roberto Cavalli look from the label’s Spring/Summer 2003 collection, consisting of a petite yellow gown, matching lace-up corset, and gold stiletto sandals.
The runway sensation turned to Instagram last week to showcase images of her fragrances, which are named “Salted Muse,” “Blooming Fire” and “Window2Soul.”
Crafted from glass and adorned with gold caps, the bottles are offered in 10, 50 and 100 ml.
Hadid in her caption described the fragrances as “hydrating, alcohol-free and enriched with essential oils.” She urged her followers to “shake to activate the transformative bi-phase formula.”
The “Salted Muse” perfume has “top notes” of sea salt, pink pepper and carbon dioxide extract, “heart notes” of olive tree accord, fig and lavender, and “base notes” of cedarwood, sandalwood and amber, according to reports.
The “Blooming Fire” fragrance has bergamot, cedarwood, clove leaf and cardamom, followed by Tahitian monoi and jasmine, and finishes with patchouli.
The “Window2Soul” scent has a blend of lemon, geranium and mint in its top notes, transitions to jasmine and damask rose, and concludes with a base of tonka bean.
Hadid wrote on her website: “For me, fragrance has always been at the center of my life — helping me feel in charge of who I am and my surroundings,” she said. “From my home to nostalgic memories, to my own energy and connection with others, scent has been an outlet for me. It made me feel safe in my own world.”
“Through my healing journey, I found that I was extremely sensitive to the alcohol in traditional perfumes — both physically and mentally — it became something that was more overwhelming than calming to me,” she added. “That is the main reason I wanted to find an alternative, so essential oils became an artistic and experimental process for me.”
While Hadid’s New York trip has primarily been spent promoting Orebella, she is expected to attend the Met Gala in a few days.
Naomi Campbell sparkles in Nicolas Jebran gown
DUBAI: British supermodel Naomi Campbell wowed fellow guests at the wedding of PrettyLittleThing founder Umar Kamani and model Nada Adelle, which took place at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, France.
Campbell wore a custom couture gown by Lebanese designer Nicolas Jebran, who took to social media to share the supermodel’s ethereal look.
“It is not a catwalk: this is a Naomi-walk with grace & gardens of bliss! The gorgeous beauty queen takes it to the next level! @Naomi, a complete stunner, in a #NicolasJebran custom couture gown as she attended the #kamaniwedding wedding yesterday!” wrote the designer to the stars.
Campbell herself posted three white heart emojis and: “My chosen family! Would not want to be anywhere else than with you on this day, TO WITNESS THIS BEAUTIFUL UNION OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE MR & MRS KAMANI @nadakamani @umarkamani WE LOVE YOU.”
The wedding was also attended by Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Al-Turki, the CEO of the Red Sea Film Festival Foundation. Other celebrity guests included former England international footballer Rio Ferdinand, fashion designer Manish Malhotra, singer Christina Milian, and Ronan and Stormy Keating.
Serenading the couple during the wedding ceremony was renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, who performed his rendition of “The Prayer,” accompanied by a full orchestra, as Adelle walked down the aisle.
Supermodel Campbell enjoys a huge fan base in the Arab world. She has also been romantically involved with individuals from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt.
Late last year, she was among was among the celebrities spotted on the red carpet at the Middle East and North Africa premiere of “The Absence of Eden,” on the third day of Jeddah’s Red Sea International Film Festival.
“I love what Red Sea has become and that it’s growing and growing and growing. And it’s really amazing and phenomenal what the team and Mo (Al-Turki) and Jomana (Al-Rashid) have created,” said Campbell in a video posted on festival’s Instagram page.
Her charitable organization, Fashion for Relief, also joined forces with Qatar Creates to launch a new global initiative called Emerge. The catwalk star co-hosted a charity gala and fashion show to support creatives and business talents around the world, with a focus on Africa, the diaspora and developing communities.
Simi and Haze Khadra discuss the functional vision of their beauty brand and its Middle East launch
DUBAI: US-Palestinian beauty entrepreneurs Simi and Haze Khadra this week went on tour in the Middle East to launch their brand, SimiHaze Beauty, in the region. Their travels included stops in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
While in the region, the sister duo — raised by Palestinian parents between Riyadh, London and Dubai — shared insights about their brand with Arab News.
The 31-year-old identical twins, who are also DJs, said that they initially launched the brand out of “pure functionality,” creating products they wanted and needed in their own makeup routines.
Every product they develop undergoes the same rigorous process of ensuring functionality, they said.
“We are constantly thinking of new ideas and ways to make makeup easy and fun to apply,” Simi told Arab News.
The pair launched their US-born cosmetics brand in 2021 with a range of stick-on makeup designs that can be placed on the face for a bold beauty look achievable within seconds.
The sticker book features an array of edgy designs inspired by their favorite DJ looks from the past, such as chrome wings, neon negative space eyeliner and holographic cat-eyes.
SimiHaze Beauty then expanded to include a range of products, such as lipsticks, bronzing powders, and a lifting mascara.
Simi and Haze believe they were “actually late bloomers to the beauty world.”
“We only started becoming interested in it when we were around 18,” Haze said. “We started SHB from just a single product we wanted but couldn’t find in the market, which is our Velvet Blur lipstick.
“We loved a matte lip for every day at the time but couldn’t find one that wasn’t drying, so we created it.”
The twins developed an interest in eye makeup when they began DJ-ing.
“We weren’t the best at applying eyeliner, so again we just created our perfect solution which became the eye stickers,” Haze said.
To the sisters, launching the brand in the Middle East “felt so surreal.”
“The market has been such a huge goal of ours since we started because we grew up here,” Simi said. “We’re so happy that our products are finally accessible to our amazing followers here, because they have been such huge supporters since the beginning.
“Now people are finally able to really see and touch and feel the products, which is so important to us because you will never get the experience and vision of SHB unless you actually hold the product and feel the texture, curves, and ergonomics of it. The online experience doesn’t do it any justice.”
The sisters said that they personally oversee the development of every product. They visit their lab in Italy for a few days at least twice a year to test and create new formulas.
“It takes a while and a lot of back and forth because after we create something it gets tested on our whole family from my grandma to my mom to my little sister and also all my friends with different skin tones,” Simi said.
“My friends are used to me calling them and saying: ‘Hi can I come over and try on some blush colors on you?’ So by the end of it we know what formulas and shades work best on the widest range of people.”
While visiting the Middle East, the sisters observed a prevailing trend in the region: skincare.
“I’ve seen so much good skin here and I can tell people really care about skincare here,” Haze said.
“We’ve also been increasingly obsessed with it. Our products are all infused with skin-loving ingredients, because we’re personally super-paranoid about anything that’s clogging or could cause irritation.”
Loli Bahia, Arab models walk Chanel cruise show in France
DUBAI: French Algerian model Loli Bahia, British Moroccan Nora Attal, and part-Saudi Amira Al-Zuhair took to the runway at the Chanel Cruise 2024/2025 show in Marseille, France.
Bahia donned a green ensemble, composed of a knee-length pencil skirt paired with a matching top, layered over a white shirt boasting a hoodie collar.
Attal graced the runway in a white summery dress adorned with delicate sheer geometric prints, complemented by white slippers.
Her look also featured beach-inspired layered necklaces, a thin chain belt and chunky bracelets adorned with hat, ship anchors and Chanel logo pendants.
Meanwhile, Al-Zuhair sported a vibrant yellow ensemble featuring hot shorts paired with a button-down top and a coordinating cardigan.
She also wore a beige hat, a gold choker embellished with blue detailing, chunky earrings and a chain belt adorned with pendants.
From intricate embroideries to dazzling sequined jackets and swimwear, Creative Director Virginie Viard’s latest collection showcased ensembles inspired by an underwater reverie.
The outfits included knee-length Bermuda shorts, high-waisted shorts, loose trapeze dresses, and large outerwear. Viard also demonstrated the power of layering, using shirt collars, French cuffs and jackets in unexpected ways throughout the collection.
Earlier this week, Chanel shared a series of images, captured by British photographer Jamie Hawkesworth, on Instagram featuring Bahia. The pictures, drawing inspiration from the seaside and scuba diving, provided an initial preview of Viard’s collection.
Bahia showcased multiple ensembles from the collection in the photographs. In the first shot, she dazzled in a glitzy black sequined mini pencil skirt and blazer. Another image captured her wearing the green ensemble seen on the runway, with the hoodie of the white shirt covering her head.
Additionally, she was photographed donning a white one-piece swimsuit adorned with a black bow around the chest.
The photo series also featured Bahia in a variety of other outfits, including a vibrant white dress with colorful square-like designs, tailored shorts paired with a blazer, as well as a striped set featuring a full-length skirt and matching top.
