175. Who’s The Fairest of them All? LY-NA vs. SAN-ING (1981-1990)

LY-NA and SAN-ING set the standards for Asian whiteness in the Philippines, 1981, 1990 ads.

Before the glutathiones and metathiones of this world took over the face and body whitening market at the start of the new millennium, there were two products that found favor among Filipinas in the 1980s and 90s and which set standards insofar as superior whitening of complexion was concerned: LY-NA and SAN-ING.

Filipinos have been obsessed with white skin  and the advantage of having fairer complexion became more evident when Caucasians—the Spaniards and Americans—came over.  The mestizo society enjoyed more advantages than brown-skinned Pinoys, as can be gleaned even in the country’s showbiz scene where mestizos and mestizas ruled the silver screen, that is before Nora Aunor burst into the scene in the 60s.

LY-NA Product Line-Up Ad, 1990.

LY-NA was the older of the two brands, introduced in 1980. In fact, a whole line was introduced—LY-NA Medicated Pearl Paste for whitening, Medicated Cream for reducing blemishes and wrinkles, and Nourishing Cream for livelier skin. Woei Meei Hih Chemical Industrial Co. (Wei Mai Li Chemical Mfg. Col. Ltd.in later ads) of Taipei, Taiwan, imported by LY-NA (Philippines) and distributed by Pagoda Philippines.

Chinese of old have always upheld the beauty of white skin, a quality associated with  royalty and elegance. This Oriental kind of whiteness became aspirational for Filipinas when they discovered LY-NA.

LY-NA Ad, 1990

Initially, the LY-NA line promised a generic benefit—the user will be rewarded with a “fresh, petal-smooth complexion”. To the company‘s surprise, Filipinas gravitated to the LY-NA Medicated Pearl Paste for its whitening power, and the promotion thus shifted to this one product which became LY-NA’s flagship brand.

The Oriental whiteness was dimensionalized as “Pearl Skin”, but it was the “Kutis-LY-NA” descriptor that took off. At its peak, LY-NA had a successful contest on the top-rating Channel 7 program, “Eat Bulaga”--“Mag-Inang Kutis LY-NA”, a mother-daughter beauty contest.

SAN-ING featured well-known beauty celebrities likeMonina Tan. 1990

Meanwhile, Summerville General Merchandising And Co belatedly introduced SAN-ING Skin products in 1990. By then, LY-NA’s core skin-whitening market was well-established. Although SAN-ING also had its own SAN-ING Medicated Pearl Cream, the company opted not to fight LY-NA head-on and positioned itself as a a total skincare line—“for stunningly soft, smooth skin”. Perhaps, it was also SAN-ING’s  hope  that like with LY-NA, Pinays will also discover  their own SAN-ING pearl cream and its whitening merits.

Actress-singer CRISTINA GONZALES pushed San-Ing Soap. 1990.

Today, of course, LY-NA and SAN-ING are still in the market but are not as aggressively marketed and promoted.  Advanced whitening technology has spawned newer, more effective whitening and bleaching products in many forms (tablets, capsules, serums ) and for specific body parts (armpits, knees and elbows), manufactured by established major beauty and cosmetics companies.

RITA AVILA, was discovered for the movies thru this San-Ing ad. 1990.