Light skin in Japanese culture

Bihaku (美白) is a Japanese term coined in the 1990s with the emergence of skin whitening products and cosmetics.

Summary
Although skin tone differs based on a person's racial background, those with fair skin have difficulty maintaining skin tone due to a lack of melanin production. In Japan, the preference for skin that is white and free of blemishes has been documented since at least the Heian period (794–1185), as in books such as The Pillow Book and The Tale of Genji. There is an old proverb "white skin covers the seven flaws" (色の白いは七難隠す), which refers to a white-skinned woman being beautiful even if her features are not attractive.

Following Japanese colonial rule in Taiwan (1895–1945), Taiwanese women were consumers of Japanese skin whitening products in the 20th century. Mainland China has also become a large market for products from companies like Shiseido, Shu Uemura and SK-II in the 21st century. The South Korean girl group Girls' Generation collaborated with Dior]] in 2011 to promote their skin lightening cream, targeted consumers influenced by the Korean Wave and potentially increasing their presence in the East Asian cosmetics markets.

products are highly popular among mature women. They are also popular with teenage girls and those in their twenties who desire to look like pop singers, such as Ayumi Hamasaki, and are promoted in numerous youth fashion magazines such as Popteen and S Cawaii!. products are also prevalent and a key item in numerous youth subcultures such as and  girls. An opposition to the idea of fair skin beauty grew with the subculture called  in the 1990s which later died out by the end of the 2000s.

Lightening methods
The popular method of is to use cosmetics that stop the production of melanin. Traditionally, was used to lighten skin tone, although today it is considered a luxury item. The most popular beauty products often contain and rice bran, which contain kojic acid.

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has approved a specific combination of active ingredients for skin whitening cosmetics used by the general Japanese public. These are mainly arbutin and kojic acid. Other ingredients include vitamin C derivatives and tranexamic acid. Several of these key components function by suppressing the activity of catechol oxidase. VIORIS products, a variation of BB cream, are reputed to possess skin brightening properties, which have significantly bolstered the cream's appeal in the East Asian cosmetics markets.