Unilever announced the next step in the evolution of its skin care portfolio to a more inclusive vision of beauty – which includes the removal of the words ‘fair/fairness’, ‘white/whitening’, and ‘light/lightening’ from its products’ packs and communication. As part of this decision, the Fair & Lovely brand name will be changed in the next few months.
This comes as there is a global debate over racial inequality and beauty standards. Hindustan Unilever said it would stop using the word “Fair” in the brand, adding that the new name for the cream was awaiting regulatory approvals.
This comes after American multinational Johnson and Johnson announced that it will be stopping the sale of two fairness products that are sold in India
Sunny Jain, President Beauty & Personal Care, explains, “We are fully committed to having a global portfolio of skin care brands that is inclusive and cares for all skin tones, celebrating greater diversity of beauty. We recognize that the use of the words ‘fair’, ‘white’ and ‘light’ suggest a singular ideal of beauty that we don’t think is right, and we want to address this. As we’re evolving the way that we communicate the skin benefits of our products that deliver radiant and even tone skin, it’s also important to change the language we use.”
The question that arises now is, what will be the new name of the product ? Will it be ‘Glow & Lovely’, ‘Bright & Lovely’, ‘Even & Lovely’, ‘I am Lovely’, or ‘Bold & Lovely’ ? ‘Care & Lovely’ should also be a good choice as it has phonetic similarity.
This was a much awaited move, especially in a society where colour of the skin is considered as a strong measure to define one’s beauty standards. This move came amidst the Anti-Colourist Movement in the United States of America and all across the globe – the Black Lives Matter. It basically took #BlackLivesMatter protests in the U.S.A to kill fairness creams in India. The move has been appreciated by many.
