K-Pop’s “Must-Have” Item? Idol Trainee-Turned-Influencer Reveals Shocking Before-and-After With Controversial “Tone-Up Cream”

Idol School and PRODUCE 48 contestant Lee Si An, perhaps better known for her appearance on Netflix‘s hit dating show Single’s Inferno, showed the shocking result of using a “tone-up cream”—a controversial cosmetic product that has become a “must” for K-Pop idols chasing the light, pale look.

Tone-up creams have been around for a while (under different names like whitening creams and CC creams), but as more K-Pop idols have been seen wearing them all over their bodies, their use—or overuse—in the Korean entertainment business has triggered big discussions.

aespa’s Winter Sparks Debate Over Body Whitening Makeup Mishap

That said, Lee Si An garnered a lot of attention with a video of herself trying on two different tone-up creams as part of her makeup routine. In the video, Lee Si An mentioned that she uses the “white cream” because she prefers “really bright” complexion.

I must apply this white cream because when I do my skin makeup, I like to make my complexion look really bright you know? So I need to adjust it to be much brighter than my natural skin tone and my hands can’t be yellowish. And my neck as well. Connecting the color with neck is seriously essential for women, yeah?

— Lee Si An

Then, adding that her co-stars and makeup artist also use the same products, Lee Si An tried them on her arm. When she was done blending the cream in, her arms ended up two different colors.

On days when I’m lazy, I use the Dodo Label brand’s ‘Idol White Tanning Spray.’ You spray it like this… since it’s spray-able. And it whitens you up. This tone-up spray was an essential item for Single’s Inferno contestants.

And this AOU Tone Up ‘Ppo Yong Cream #01 White’ is something we use a lot at the make-up place I go to. The more you apply this the whiter it gets. And it’s really moisturizing when you apply it. You might be thinking, ‘OMG! Why is she applying so much?’ But, you know, as you blend it, it naturally sets and finishes matte. It doesn’t smudge on clothes. Oh, and the knees! I apply a lot on my knees too. And you can do your armpits!

— Lee Si An

The video, inevitably, has started a heated debate online. A viral theqoo post about Lee Si An’s video—and tone-up creams in general—has seen hundreds of comments, arguing over whether such whitening products are a matter of personal preference, like all other makeup products, or if their “whitewashing” aspect makes them a problematic trend.

• “Obsessing over pale skin and wanting to be white aren’t the same thing, LOL. Korea is a country that’s admired fair skin since the Joseon era, and now people are suddenly screaming ‘whitewashing’? LOL.”
• “I tried that stuff a long time ago, and after a while it would cake up, crack, and pill like dead skin. There’s no way it wouldn’t show. Maybe it’s better these days?”
• [Deleted Comment]
• “Honestly, it feels like there isn’t a single idol who doesn’t use this.”
• “Maybe people just like this kind of light, pale makeup. Is bright-toned makeup not allowed? What’s the issue?”
• “Look how when she puts the tone-up cream on her arm, it immediately matches the skin tone on her face. Kind of fascinating.”
• “So many people are using the term ‘whitewashing’ without even knowing what it means, LOL. Why are there so many clueless people?”
• “But isn’t all makeup essentially like this? You do it to match your own aesthetic. Whether you go lighter, darker, blue, or yellow, people should just do whatever they want.”
• “Guess there was no need to get mad about whitewashing and racism after all, LOL.”
• “But doesn’t it rub off on clothes? And doesn’t it get really dry?”
• “Liking fair skin isn’t about idolizing white people. It’s just a traditional preference for lighter skin, yet people keep calling it ‘whitewashing.’ At least know what you’re saying.”

• “I bet IU and aespa most definitely use it.”
• “Idols use a ton of this stuff. Some idols that people say are ‘naturally super pale’ might not actually be.”
• “Someone said using this gave them an existential crisis, and honestly, that sounds believable.”
• “Wait, so you’d have to wipe down your entire body with cleansing products and wash it all off, right? I don’t get why people go this far. Just thinking about it makes me tired.”
• “Even the product name has ‘white’ in it, LOL. I kind of get why white people would freak out about it.”
• “Honestly, when whitewashing controversies come up, Koreans should probably just stay quiet. Whether it’s Southeast Asians or white fans going on about ‘love yourself,’ there’s nothing to say back. Korea really is country obsessed with unreal beauty standards. And saying, ‘Korea traditionally liked pale skin because it symbolized the upper class who didn’t work outside’ doesn’t sound strange to you at all?”
• “Let’s be real, it is whitewashing, LOL. We should just shut up about it.”
• “I really don’t understand why anyone would go this far.”
• “I don’t show my legs in the summer so they stay really pale, but my arms get super tan. I bought one at Daiso and tried it just on my arms, and it actually worked pretty well. I even put it on my neck sometimes in the summer.”
• “Yeah, this is whitewashing for sure, LOL. I once visited a magazine shoot, and they were constantly reapplying it.”

Read more about tone-up creams here:

Popular Fourth-Gen Idol’s Use Of Tone-Up Cream To Whiten Skin Sparks Shock