Fair & Lovely no longer 'Fair': Hindustan Unilever to give new name to popular skin care cream
In a major announcement, Hindustan Unilever has announced that it will remove the word 'Fair' from its flagship brand skincare cream Fair & Lovely. 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.
The company said that it will be more focused on the representation of women with different skin tones and the rest of the skin care portfolio will also reflect the new vision of beauty.
“We recognise 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," said Sunny Jain, President Beauty & Personal Care, HUL.
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.
The company said the brand is committed to celebrating all skin tones. Sanjiv Mehta, chairman and managing director, 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. We now announce that we will remove the word ‘Fair’ from our brand name Fair & Lovely. The new name is awaiting regulatory approvals, and the pack with the revised name will be available in the market in the next few months.”
