Shiseido White Lucent Event

Shiseido organised a workshop on their White Lucent range for bloggers earlier this week. As some of you may know, the Asian market for whitening products is enormous due to the tendency among Asians to associate fair skin with beauty. Personally, I usually focus on preventing acne and the oiliness in my skin rather than whitening in my daily skincare regime as I am already quite fair. Nevertheless, as I do have some minor pigmentation on my cheeks, I was interested to learn how the White Lucent range can help me to reduce them.

In Japan, whitening skincare products are actually classified as a quasi-drug because of their effects on the skin and have to go through extensive testing and be approved by the government. Of the ten active whitening ingredients that are approved for use in Japan, five were created by Shiseido. Shiseido's whitening products are the most comprehensive in terms of addressing the problem of pigmentation as their ingredients work at three different levels.

M-tranexamic acid soothes inflammation and thereby suppresses the production of melanin. 4MSK inhibits the activity of the enzyme tyrosinase within the melanocytes. Multi-target Vitamin C then reduces melanin that has already been formed and also helps to reduce pre-melanin in the skin. Shiseido also uses yomogi extract to regulate cell division rate, which helps the skin to renew itself.

This short video clip of the keratinocytes 'eating' up the melanocytes made the greatest impression on me as I have read many articles about the role of melanin in sun damage but never actually seen how it works. After the keratinocytes absorb the melanocytes, the cells then rise up towards the skin surface where they form the much-dreaded spots.


Angela then showed us a video clip comparing normal skin cells going through the normal process of division versus cells that had been damaged by the sun. The latter cells were barely moving compared the former which were busy with activity.

After the presentation, we got to try out the various products and received checks on the state of our skin. My skin was diagnosed as oily but otherwise normal. Shiseido also gave us a very generous set of five full-size products, customised to our individual skin types, to try out. I received the Brightening Cleansing Foam, Brightening Balancing Softener, Brightening Protective Emulsion, Brightening Moisturising Gel and the Intensive Spot Targeting Serum.


The star product is of course the Intensive Spot Targeting Serum (S$159) which was launched in Singapore in January of this year and promptly sold out. It was then re-stocked and sold out again.

Ingredients list and product description for the serum.


The Brightening Cleansing Foam (S$57) is pricey for a face cleanser but the results are actually visible from the first use. After using this, my skin was supple, soft and more luminous. The foam is actually a milky liquid that lathers easily and feels nicely dense and luxurious on the skin. It does leave my skin a tad more squeaky clean than my usual Kenzoki cleanser but it doesn't strip it to the extent where my skin starts to flake or form dry patches. Anyway, the moisture is immediately replenished when I follow up with the softener.

The bubbly foam in the pic below was created with a whisk. If you use only your fingers, it still lathers up but not as bubbly as in the pic below.

Ingredient list and product description for the cleansing foam.


The Brightening Balancing Softener (S$79) is designed to be used in tandem with the Intensive Spot Targeting Serum. Using the softener right after cleansing the face (and before the serum) helps the serum to be absorbed faster and more effectively.

This comes in a very heavy glass bottle, useful if you need to clunk someone over the head in an emergency but one needs to be careful not to drop it accidentally! The small plastic nozzle is actually very useful as it ensures that the softener is dispensed in smaller drops rather than gush out uncontrollably.


The Brightening Protective Emulsion has SPF15 and hence can be used as a day moisturiser. I haven't tried this out yet.

The Brightening Moisturising Gel can be used as the night moisturiser, after the Intensive Spot Targeting Serum but I've put off using it for now while I test out the serum.

I am currently using the cleansing foam, the brightening softener followed by the serum. I avoid trying out too many new products at the same time because if one breaks you out, it's difficult to figure out which is the product causing the trouble. Furthermore, my skin gets super oily if I layer on more than two skincare products at a time so I usually stick to just toner and/or moisturiser, rather than overload it with toner, serum, moisturiser and then makeup (in the mornings) on top of all that skincare. The softener and serum both absorb quite easily without leaving a sticky or greasy film. My skin still produces oil at its normal rate but I just use blotting sheets as usual. I have only been using the regime for a few days so it's too early to see any significant results, aside from the increased luminosity and clarity of my skin after using the cleansing foam. I will post an update after I have used the products for a few weeks.

You can book a free 45-minute comprehensive skin check/consultation at the Tangs Orchard counter. Just call them at 6733 2589 to make an appointment. Shiseido has 16 counters in Singapore, the largest number of any prestige beauty brand, so if you're interested in the White Lucent range, just drop by any of the counters to test them out.

Do also check out Makeupstash.com, Ms Glitzy's and Sassyd0ll's blogs for their accounts of the event and reviews. You can also view Shiseido Singapore's Facebook page here.