Sure, you can find a vast range of cosmetics from all over the world here, but there is someone closer to home from whom you can draw inspiration - grandma.
Or, rather, the traditional Asian ingredients that have long been used by generations of Chinese, Malay, Northern Indian, Indonesian and Filipino beauties.
Yes, those strange powders on your grandmother's dressing table are now in vogue amid the contemporary - and yet eternal - quest to look good.
Who would have thought that beauty brands big and small would be paying close attention to the fact that Chinese women swear by compressed pearl powder to get rid of pigmentation problems, for example?
Or that Malays use products made with betel leaves to reduce the redness caused by acne break-outs?
While cosmetic companies say the trend of using traditional Asian ingredients in their products gained popularity around 2000, they note that such products have been appearing with increasing frequency.
SK-II's range of pitera-filled skincare lotions, for instance, has been flying off the shelves since its launch nine years ago.
Pitera, a material arising from the yeast produced in sake, is a traditional ingredient that Japanese women say helps restore the skin's natural renewal process and produce dewy and smooth skin.
Another well-known brand that uses traditional Asian ingredients is Indian brand Lakme, which uses henna, a flowering plant that is said to darken hair colour and which is particularly popular with Northern Indians.
The appeal of such traditional ingredients lies - at least in part - in their trusted success.
Financial adviser Keslyn Chia, 26, says: 'My grandmother has been using products with white lotus to whiten her skin and her daily ritual of applying this powder has resulted in flawlessly smooth skin.
'So my mum and I have been using these white lotus products as well.'
Teacher Jesvinda Kaur, 34, recalls her maternal grandmother buying bottles of coconut oil from neighbourhood provisions shops to use as a beauty product.
Kaur says: 'She would wash her hair with coconut oil every day and this gave her hair a gorgeous lustre and glow. Normal off-the-shelf shampoo could never give you the same effect.'
Urban looks at some age-old products that different ethnic groups swear by.
| Chinese |
Malay |
Filipino |
Northern Indian |
Indonesian |
Ingredient: White rice
Benefits: Chinese empresses believed that white rice was the secret to luminous, even-toned skin. White rice was boiled in water, which absorbed its vitamins. The royal women would rinse their faces in the rice water, which was said to create smooth complexions and erase spots and blotches.
Product that uses it: Wei East Bright Lights Rice Milk Essence, price unavailable
Buy from: Scent’s Hut, 03-1080 People’s Park Centre
Ingredient: White lotus
Benefits: Essences extracted from the white lotus flower are believed to alleviate dry, mature and ageing skin.
They are said to make skin supple and soft and banish blemishes.
Products that use it: Wei East White Lotus Cleansing Cream, Wei East White Lotus Anti Aging Masque, Wei East White Lotus Cream Bath, prices unavailable
Buy from: Scent’s Hut |
Ingredient: Betel leaves
Benefits: Betel leaves, from the betel tree, are used as a beauty product by Malay royalty for their cooling properties that reduce redness caused by acne. They also tighten
pores.
Products that use them: Qistina Sireh Rapat, $4.50
Buy from: Level 1 Mustafa Shopping Centre |
Ingredient: Papaya extract
Benefits: This is said to be gentle on the skin and does not inhibit its natural oil production activity. Users believe that it will ensure that the skin remains young looking and line-free.
Products that use it: Synaa Papaya Soap, $2.50; Sutla Papaya Soap $2.30
Buy from: Level 1 Mustafa Shopping Centre |
Ingredient: Turmeric
Benefits: This plant supposedly helps soften and smoothen skin while getting rid of blackheads and uneven skin tone.
Products that use it: Himalaya Neem & Turmeric soap, $1.80; Vicco Turmeric Vanishing Cream, $7.50
Buy from: Level 1 Mustafa Shopping Centre
Ingredient: Coconut oil
Benefits: Nourishes scalp and hair while strengthening hair roots and preventing split ends.
Products that use it: Biodegradable Gentle Body Wash Coconut, $6.50; Astonish Coconut Anti-bacterial handwash, $3.50
Buy from: Level 1 Mustafa Shopping Centre |
Ingredient: Goat’s milk
Benefits: Used by Javanese princesses for youthful skin, the proteins found in it are said to make skin soft and smooth. A 20-minute soak in a goat’s milk bath apparently
leaves skin moisturised.
For a more intense hydrating treatment, buttermilk or yogurt is used instead.
Products that use it: Sofkin Goat’s Milk Shower Cream, $3.90; Everyday Purified Goat’s Milk, $4.90
Buy from: Level 1 Mustafa Shopping Centre |
