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Unilever removes word 'normal' from beauty products
The word "normal" is often used in beauty products to describe what type of skin -- normal to oily skin for example -- is recommended for any product or brand.
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This photo taken on July 8, 2020 shows packages of Unilever "Fair and Lovely" skin-lightening creams on the counter of a shop in New Delhi. Multinationals have long profited from sales of whitening creams, facewash and even vaginal bleaching lotions, by advertising the message that beauty, success and love are only for pale-skinned people. Now, companies like Unilever say they "want to lead the celebration of a more diverse portrayal of beauty". (Agence France Presse/Sajjad Hussain)
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nilever announced on Tuesday that it was dropping the word "normal" from its beauty products in an effort at a more inclusive and equitable image of its personal care brands.
The word "normal" is often used in beauty products to describe what type of skin -- normal to oily skin for example -- is recommended for any product or brand.
"The decision to remove 'normal' is one of many steps that we are taking to challenge narrow beauty ideals, as we work towards helping to end discrimination and advocating for a more inclusive vision of beauty," the consumer goods giant said in a statement.
"It comes as global research into people's experiences of the beauty industry reveals that using 'normal' to describe hair or skin makes most people feel excluded."
The company added that in addition to removing the word "normal" as part of its Positive Beauty strategy, Unilever will not "digitally alter a person’s body shape, size, proportion or skin colour in its brand advertising, and will increase the number of advertisements portraying people from diverse groups who are under-represented."
Sunny Jain, the head of Unilever's beauty business, said the aim was to get rid of stereotypes and to have a "far more inclusive definition of beauty."
"We know that removing 'normal' from our products and packaging will not fix the problem alone, but it is an important step forward," Jain added.
