Knowledge, Attitude, and Perception on skin whitening practice among UniKL students in Malaysia

Abstract

Skin whitening product has been in demand by all levels of the community as lighter skin has been described as the main element of beauty. However, many consumers are not well aware of the skin whitening agent that are allowed and safe to be consumed. Therefore, we would like to study on UniKL students' knowledge, attitude, and perception on skin whitening practice. Random sampling method is used to collect our data. 56.0% (N = 215) of the respondents are able to classify correctly half or more of the substances that are banned by the Ministry of Health to be used as a whitening agents such as Hydroquinone, Mercury, Tretinoin and Azelaic Acid given. Half of the respondents have used or are currently using skin whitening products and believe that "Lighter skin increases one's self-esteem." We found that there is a significant correlation between the background of the study with their knowledge on skin and skin whitening products. The correlation between the allowances they received monthly, and the amount that they will spend on these products is insignificant. More female students use skin whitening products compared to male students. 44.7% (N = 88) of the respondents claim to notice improvement on their skin after consuming these products, and some claim to have experienced side effects such as acne, redness, and irritation.