SK-II’s latest docu-series about PITERA™ Essence, the globally-dubbed ‘Miracle Water’, sees the brand’s four global celebrity ambassadors—Chloë Grace Moretz, Ayase Haruka, Nini, and Tangwei—revisit and reimagine their very first skincare campaign for the Japanese beauty brand in #MyPITERAStory. With SK-II’s modus operandi of sharing the skin-transforming miracle of the PITERA™ Essence through authentic stories of real skin transformations, this star-studded series takes testimonials to new frontiers, unravelling each celebrity’s personal journey with SK-II and the PITERA™ Essence, and taking us right back to the start—their first bottle—and how their skin and lives have changed since.
A decade ago, Chinese actress Tangwei made a major skinvestment in the form of the legendary SK-II PITERA™ Essence. “Sometimes it’s the small choices that change destiny. Keep going and you’ll find all of a sudden, “Oh! I have changed.” Like making a choice to protect your skin, caring for it before you sleep, the food you eat, the lifestyle you choose. All these things are choices. And these choices determine how your skin and life will be 10 years later.” Today, the award-winning actress is back on set, to recreate her first skincare commercial with SK-II. Reflecting on the process of filming the docu-series, titled #MyPITERAStory, Tangwei makes one thing clear: this is so much more than a remake. And her crystal clear complexion is living proof.
Coming a full circle after gracing Singapore in 2011 as the then-newest SK-II global brand ambassador, Vogue Singapore shines the spotlight on Tangwei as she looks back on the past decade journeying with SK-II and her skin’s transformation with the PITERA™ Essence—a perfected formula inspired from observing the extraordinarily soft, youthful hands of elderly sake brewers.
Tangwei on self-love through skincare
In an exclusive behind-the-scenes interview for this docu-film, Tangwei begins her story with a note of reminiscence, taking us back to her hometown where she grew up. She would’ve been easy to spot amongst the other girls; she wasn’t as feminine or skincare-obsessed, standing out with her disregard for any sort of armour to brave the pelting, skin-harming UV rays.
“I wouldn’t consider myself a very feminine woman. When I first heard that some women had skincare rituals that consisted of 13 steps, I couldn’t believe it! Growing up in my hometown, girls would usually carry parasols in summer and wear long sleeves when they ride a bike. They will cover their face with a scarf and leave only a gap for the eyes. My mum would always scold me for not doing any of this. But SK-II taught me how to care for my skin, one step at a time. I think loving my skin is like loving myself. It has given me freedom to choose and simplify. It could be as simple as washing my face and putting on PITERA™ Essence or doing a few more steps,” she reveals.
Fast forward to a life in the limelight, the video picks up at Tangwei’s first skincare commercial with SK-II, 10 years ago.
“Back then, I had never done a skincare commercial. I wasn’t confident during the filming. I remember it,” she confesses. She recalls the insecurity and the anxiety, wondering if she was feminine or “pretty enough to film a skincare commercial”.
“I’m not a very feminine woman,” Tangwei admits. “It’s ok, it was ok to be a little manly. And SK-II, they also like this aspect of me.”
During the interview, Tangwei reveals how she’s since become part of the SK-II family. “I felt a special sense of belonging. I think the most important thing is being able to be with the people you want to be with, and not the people you don’t want to be with. I think these things will completely change your destiny.”
Speaking of changing one’s fate, the same can be said for her husband, whom she was close friends with for many years before tying the knot. “I never thought I would marry a foreigner. There’s no-one who knows me better than him.”
While he captured her heart, Tangwei’s love affair with Crystal Clear Skin continues to this day. “I was attracted to SK-II at the very beginning because of its smell. Over the years, it has stayed quietly by my side through all my ups and downs—I love how simple yet sophisticated it.”
In just five words, Tangwei describes the PITERA™ Essence as “unique. One and only. Irreplaceable.” Though she poetically encapsulates this in a string of Chinese idiomatic expressions, her ageless, luminous skin and her aura of confidence is perhaps the greatest testimony of PITERA™ Essence’s efficacy—because the skin never lies.
“I liked it from the moment I first smelled it. It’s the one. That’s why it’s called ‘Miracle Water’. It’s so amazing. It’s like that now and the beginning. SK-II has changed my life. The skin becomes moist, clean, bright and glows.” Truly, a sensorial reality that resonates with SK-II fans around the globe.
“SK-II taught me how to care for my skin, one step at a time. I think loving my skin is like loving myself. It has given me freedom to choose and simplify”
“When is a woman really beautiful?” she muses. “When you’re confident in your own skin, women can be true to themselves. Confident women are really beautiful. Do you agree?”
A marriage of a different kind, Tangwei thoughtfully ruminates on the quiet, comforting presence of PITERA™ Essence, a formula that has stayed by her side through life’s ups and downs. “There is something about using SK-II PITERA™ Essence, tapping it slowly on my face to absorb it, that relaxes me”, simple yet sophisticated, it is these small acts of self-love that have shaped the ever confident, poised, and aglow Tangwei that we see today.
“I’m still surprised at the transformation.”
To experience the evolution of Crystal Clear Skin for Tangwei, Nini, Ayase Haruka, and Chloë Grace Moretz, watch the #MYPITERAStory series now. Their journeys may be different, but one thing is clear from this reboot: they are wiser, bolder, and more confident than the woman they were in their first SK-II commercial. Discover the magic of PITERA™ Essence through the intimate and personal conversations with the global stars in #MyPITERAStory series today.
