Previous

Page - 3

Indian fairness creams market is estimated at Rs. 800 crores (Source: Euromonitor, a Market Research Tirm). The saying that 'supply creates its own demand' is proved to be true in this context. Fairness product is different from other consumer durables and FMCG products.
The use of the product is guided by psychological drives, because meaning of beauty is completely personal in nature and it varies from person to person. 'Beauty lies in eyes of beholder'. At present we have so many domestic and multinational brands in this category.

Why Fairness Cream?

The fascination with fair skin may be rooted in a number of things. One, dark skin is associated with labour and field work in the sun, and fair skin with wealth, aristocracy and higher education. A second theory is that light-skinned conquerors from the Aryans to the Moghuls and European colonisers set the standard for attractiveness in the poorer colonies with their dark-skinned majority.

Whatever the roots, in modern times, the fairness fixation has been reinforced and perpetuated by the media. Now a day every face on the billboard and silver screen, except some of the rare "dusky" beauties and villains and vamps, appears to be light-skinned.

We are living in a culture where the Marriage Classified ad's in newspapers still say, "Looking for a slim fair-skinned girl..." And where mother always stop her daughter to play under sun.

Next

* Contributed by: -
Kunal Gaurav,
Research Scholar,
ICFAI Institute for Management Teachers, Hyderabad.