Understanding Skin Dullness Perception by Chinese Women and Its Relationship With Skin Characteristics Based on Physical Measurements

ABSTRACT Background Skin dullness is one of the most common skin concerns in Asian countries, and various studies have sought to understand its causes from a physiological perspective. One previous study examined the contribution of skin physiological parameters to skin dullness as perceived by Japanese women. The current study sought to elucidate skin dullness perception by Chinese women and its relationship with skin physiological indices based on physical measurements. Materials and Methods An evaluation experiment was conducted using facial images of 20 Japanese female subjects obtained in a previous study. The observers were 303 Chinese women in their 20s to 40s, and a perceived skin dullness score was obtained for all images using the paired comparison method. We developed a mathematical model to explain Chinese women's dullness perception using partial least squares regression analysis with perceived dullness score as the objective variable and skin physiological indices as explanatory variables. Furthermore, we divided the observers into three groups on the basis of their age and constructed a regression model for explaining dullness perception among people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s to understand age‐related differences in dullness perception. Results Dullness perception by Chinese women was primarily based on skin color. Skin color had a stronger contribution to dullness perception among women in their 40s, compared with those in their 20s and 30s. Conclusion The current findings will be useful for a wide range of skin research, from cosmetics development to clinical research.