The decision by Johnson & Johnson had put HUL and L’Oreal in a spot as they faced criticism over their presence in skin lightening products. The new name is awaiting regulatory approvals and is expected to change in the next few months, HUL said.
Hindustan Unilever (HUL) said it will drop the word “fair” from its skin lightening cream Fair & Lovely, as part of rebranding its flagship brand. The move comes after Johnson & Johnson decided to exit the fairness cream category in India and Middle East over rising protests related to gender discrimination and stereotyping based on the colour of skin, following the death of George Floyd in the US.
The decision by Johnson & Johnson had put HUL and L’Oreal in a spot as they faced criticism over their presence in skin lightening products. The new name is awaiting regulatory approvals and is expected to change in the next few months, HUL said.
“We are making our skin care portfolio more inclusive and want to lead the celebration of a more diverse portrayal of beauty. In 2019, we removed the cameo with two faces as well as the shade guides from the packaging of Fair & Lovely and the brand communication progressed from fairness to glow which is a more holistic and inclusive measure of healthy skin. These changes were very well received by our consumers,” said Sanjiv Mehta, CMD of HUL.
The fairness cream category is a high revenue market for HUL in India with Fair & Lovely having revenue of Rs 2,000 crore and is part of the company’s beauty and personal care category which is worth Rs 17,000 crore. For Johnson & Johnson, the revenue is insignificant in India.
Last week, oral toothpaste maker Colgate-Palmolive said it was reviewing its Chinese toothpaste brand Darlie, which though widely sold across Asia, essentially translates to “black person toothpaste.”
HUl said it moved away from advertising the benefits of fairness, whitening and skin lightening that it claimed could happen by usage of its cream. It also removed from Fair & Lovely’s packaging, words such as ‘fair/fairness’, ‘white/whitening’, and ‘light/lightening’ that could indicate a fairness-led transformation. The cameo with two faces showing shade transformation, as well as the shade guides were removed from the packs.
The decision by Johnson & Johnson had put HUL and L’Oreal in a spot as they faced criticism over their presence in skin lightening products. The new name is awaiting regulatory approvals and is expected to change in the next few months, HUL said.
“We are making our skin care portfolio more inclusive and want to lead the celebration of a more diverse portrayal of beauty. In 2019, we removed the cameo with two faces as well as the shade guides from the packaging of Fair & Lovely and the brand communication progressed from fairness to glow which is a more holistic and inclusive measure of healthy skin. These changes were very well received by our consumers,” said Sanjiv Mehta, CMD of HUL.
The fairness cream category is a high revenue market for HUL in India with Fair & Lovely having revenue of Rs 2,000 crore and is part of the company’s beauty and personal care category which is worth Rs 17,000 crore. For Johnson & Johnson, the revenue is insignificant in India.
Last week, oral toothpaste maker Colgate-Palmolive said it was reviewing its Chinese toothpaste brand Darlie, which though widely sold across Asia, essentially translates to “black person toothpaste.”
HUl said it moved away from advertising the benefits of fairness, whitening and skin lightening that it claimed could happen by usage of its cream. It also removed from Fair & Lovely’s packaging, words such as ‘fair/fairness’, ‘white/whitening’, and ‘light/lightening’ that could indicate a fairness-led transformation. The cameo with two faces showing shade transformation, as well as the shade guides were removed from the packs.
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