London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

L'Oréal is the latest beauty company to remove words like 'fair,' 'light,' and 'whitening' from marketing skin-tone products

L'Oréal is the latest beauty company to remove words like 'fair,' 'light,' and 'whitening' from marketing skin-tone products

L'Oréal is the latest beauty company to remove words like 'fair,' 'light,' and 'whitening' from marketing skin-tone products

* L'Oréal said Saturday that it "has decided to remove the words white/whitening, fair/fairness, light/lightening from all its skin evening products," according to the Associated Press.

* L'Oréal Group owns beauty brands including Garnier, Maybelline New York, La Roche Posay, SkinCeuticals, and L'Oréal Paris, among others.

* The company's announcement to stop labeling products with "whitening," "fair," and "lightening" follows similar moves from other large cosmetics companies.

* For example, Johnson & Johnson recently stopped selling skin-lightening products that were available in Asia and the Middle East; and Nivea said it would change the name of its "Fair & Lovely" line to be more inclusive.

L'Oréal is the latest major beauty and personal care company to reconsider wording for products used or marketed as skin-lighteners.

In a statement released on Saturday, the company said that it "has decided to remove the words white/whitening, fair/fairness, light/lightening from all its skin evening products," according to the Associated Press.

France-based L'Oréal Group owns beauty brands sold worldwide, including Garnier, Maybelline New York, La Roche Posay, SkinCeuticals, and L'Oréal Paris, among other lines of products sold to everyday consumers and beauty professionals alike.

L'Oréal's statement did not immediately specify products in particular that it plans to rename.

Other global companies have made similar changes to their products and messaging in recent weeks


Brand and creative leaders of all industries, from skincare to food to entertainment, are facing a modern reckoning that has sparked reconsiderations of deeply rooted racist origins of logos and messaging.

The announcement from L'Oréal follows moves made by other personal care corporations to give thought as to how products with skin-evening or lightening abilities are marketed, and whether or not they should be sold at all.

For example, Johnson & Johnson announced earlier in June that it discontinued two lines products that could be used for skin-lightening purposes: Neutrogena Fine Fairness, sold in Asia and the Middle East; and Clean & Clear's Clear Fairness, sold in India.

"Conversations over the past few weeks highlighted that some product names or claims on our dark spot reducer products represent fairness or white as better than your own unique skin tone," Johnson & Johnson said in a statement. "This was never our intention – healthy skin is beautiful skin."

A Johnson & Johnson spokesperson previously told AdAge that the name of the Neutrogena Fine Fairness products "may be perceived in an unintended way."

Additionally, Unilever — which owns Dove, Suave, St. Ives, and Vaseline, among hundreds of other household-name brands — said in a statement on Thursday that it will remove words that denote skin-lightening from its products.

"The evolution to a more inclusive vision of beauty that celebrates and cares for all skin tones, and no longer uses the words 'white/whitening', 'light/lightening or 'fair/fairness', will be a policy for all Unilever's Beauty & Personal Care brands," Unilever's announcement read.

"We're committed to a skincare portfolio that's inclusive of all skin tones, celebrating the diversity of beauty," Unilever said in a tweet.

Unilever also said it would rename its Fair & Lovely skin cream, which is sold across Asia.

Sunny Jain, Unilever's President Beauty & Personal Care, said in the statement that the company plans to make changes to how the Fair & Lovely product is advertised.

"We will also continue to evolve our advertising, to feature women of different skin tones, representative of the variety of beauty across India and other countries," Jain said. "We want Fair & Lovely to become a brand that celebrates glowing and radiant skin, regardless of skin tone."

The statement added that Fair & Lovely "has never been, and is not, a skin bleaching product."

The Fair & Lovely product has garnered criticism for being depicted in TV advertisements as giving people a lighter complexion, and as of June 28, more than 13,000 people signed a petition calling for the company to ban the product altogether.

ABC Journalist Siobhan Heanue wrote on Twitter that despite the name change of Fair & Lovely, as long as the cream continues to be sold, its purpose will stay the same.


Representatives for L'Oréal, Johnson & Johnson, and Unilever did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×