Unilever said on Thursday it will drop the word “fair” from its “Fair & Lovely” range of products, which have long been criticised for promoting negative stereotypes against people with darker skin.
The move comes as cosmetics companies have seen an increasing amount of backlash on social media in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Over the last decade, Fair & Lovely’s advertising has evolved to communicate a message of women empowerment.
The brand’s vision is to adopt a holistic approach to beauty that cares for people and that is inclusive and diverse – for everyone, everywhere. The brand is committed to celebrating all skin tones.
In 2019, the brand’s communication moved away from benefits of fairness, whitening and skin lightening, towards glow, even tone, skin clarity and radiance which are holistic measures of healthy skin.
Unilever Pakistan has also removed all visuals or words on Fair & Lovely’s packaging that could indicate a fairness-led transformation – including the removal of dual-faced cameo showing shade transformation, as well as the shade guides. Unilever Pakistan upholds principles that no association should be made between skin tone and a person’s achievement, potential or worth.
Amir Paracha, Chairman & CEO, Unilever Pakistan Limited, said, “Unilever is an organization that is evolving continuously, and today we have taken the next bold step in our evolution by committing to a more inclusive and diverse portrayal of beauty.”
he further adds,”This ambition has been in the works for some time with significant steps such as the removal of the dual-faced cameo and shade guides from the packaging of Fair & Lovely in 2019. We have also moved the brand communication away from fairness towards glow which is a more holistic and inclusive measure of healthy skin. We are now committing to remove the word ‘Fair’ from the brand formerly known as ‘Fair & Lovely’. The new name will be announced soon.”