Brown Skin

One of my close friends has already written a piece about the seeming penchant of many Filipinos, both men and women (and to some extent, other Asians) for skin products that give one a whiter or fairer skin. Skin whitening products are indeed selling like hotcakes and still expected to thrive in the beauty industry in the long haul. [Just a gentle note that this post does not put any judgement to others of different skin colors. We are all One Family, no matter our skin color.]

With all due respect to the women (and even men) who patronize such products and those who manufacture them, this could hopefully encourage a rethinking, particularly with the results of studies about the dangers associated with certain ingredients and substances such as mercury and hydroquinone. (An article that discusses some of the ingredients in skin whitening products is found in this link.) At the minimum, exercising due diligence when choosing our favorite or go-to brand is a must. A good resource is the Environmental Working Group‘s Skin Deep®, which carries information on more than 154,600 products (as of last update of this post in 2025). It uses a scoring system (low, moderate, high) to describe a product’s hazard potential. The hazard score is briefly described below but it is better to read more about its methodology through its website. [Please note I am not, in any way, connected with any of the companies /websites indicated in this post.]

Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep® Hazard Scoring System [Image EWG]

Another resource that seems reliable also is an app /site called Think Dirty®. It evaluates the overall risks of products based on “the potential health impacts of its published ingredients. Each ingredient listed on the product label or manufacturer’s website is evaluated for documented evidence of carcinogenicity, developmental and reproductive toxicity and/or allergenicity and immunotoxicity” (Think Dirty®, n.d.). Its product rating scale, called Dirty Meter™, is shared below.

Think Dirty®’s product rating scale, Dirty Meter™ [Image Think Dirty®]

Again, there is no judgement. Do what you need to do, but at the very least, be very careful in choosing what products to put on your beautiful skin. For fellow Pinoys/Pinays and other kins who have brown or dark skin (the legendary morena shade), you are amazing! We were created by the divine with this shade of color–close to the color of the soil from which life fully thrives. The Great Source created us with brown skin because this is the best color for our unique habitat. Look around, beloveds. The tropical islands are beckoning you to live fully and joyfully! It will be quite strange indeed to be gifted with lots and lots of islands and beaches but with people all scampering away from the sun’s rays. Yes, it pays to be careful of the sun’s harmful UV rays but there are many ways to protect ourselves.

White skin is not superior or prettier. Just as having American twang if you are a Filipino does not mean you are superior than the rest who have this distinct Pinoy accent. White skin is white skin. They are the skin of our equally beautiful brothers and sisters from the west. Just like brown is ours. There is no competition there. No one is prettier by virtue of the color of her/his skin. We are all different. We all have unique characteristics that make us the race that we are. I like white skin on white people in the same way that I like brown skin on brown people.

This is not being racist or judgmental but a gentle invitation to self-acceptance. Be proud to wear your skin. When my Pinay and other Asian friends are abroad, surrounded by Caucasians, they notice (and feel) admiring eyes on them. More than a couple of times, I, too, get compliments from well-meaning strangers. Again, there is no better color. It is just probably out of genuine appreciation that people typically considers brown skin as a fusion of dark and fair, like a perfect blend of milk and coffee. Shouldn’t we then feel really blessed that our color is like a perfect mixture of black and white, just like how life should be? Even our fair-skinned counterparts sometimes want to experience having our “glorious” tan by going to the beach or staying inside tanning machines. It is but natural to crave the sun’s warmth on our skin!

Another thing worth considering is how a formerly brown skin could appear or behave after consuming significant amount of skin-whitening products in the long term. Unlike a person who is originally fair-skinned from birth, someone who just turned fair artificially may look too pale sans make-up, or worse, may find it difficult or costly to maintain such fairness in the long haul. Of course, cost is nothing compared to the health risks.

And speaking of UV rays, it is also a blessing that having brown or moreno skin give us more protection against the sun’s harmful rays (Brenner & Hearing, 2009). It doesn’t give immunity but there is indeed more protection. Data indicate that skin cancer (the variant supposedly caused by UV rays) is more highly-prevalent in fair-skinned population. The advertisements of skin whitening products do not mention this fact, right? Why is it that cigarettes’ packaging and ad materials are required to show “Cigarette smoking is dangerous to your health” while skin whitening products are not required to state “Having fairer skin may unnecessarily increase one’s chances of getting skin cancer due to the sun’s harmful UV rays” on their packaging and ads? Just something to think about before your next haul of skin whitening products.

Again, we need to respect everyone’s choices, whether or not he has fair, brown, or dark skin. We all have good friends who buy skin whitening products. Their skin care regimen does not in any way affect our feelings for them. Nevertheless, this is a perfect time to remind ourselves again that no matter the color of our skin, we are beautiful. Perhaps, more importantly, our hearts are what make us truly shine.

REFERENCES

Brenner, M. & Hearing, V. (2009). The Protective Role of Melanin Against UV Damage in Human Skin. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2671032/?utm

Environmental Working Group Skin Deep®. (n.d.). Hazard ratings. https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/learn_more/about/

Think Dirty® (n.d.). Methodology. https://www.thinkdirtyapp.com/methodology/

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