Skin-Whitening Creams Remain Big Business in Asia Despite Purge

L'Oreal White Perfect Clinical cream arranged for a photograph at a general store in Mumbai, India, on Friday, Sept. 3, 2021. From Thailand to India, pharmacies and department-store cosmetics counters peddle all sorts of body moisturizers, face creams, and serums that promise to whiten users skin, playing off a traditional belief that a light complexion denotes status and wealth because people with fairer skin can afford to stay inside instead of toiling for hours under the sun. Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg via Getty Images