Against the background of the global racism debate, the French cosmetics giant has decided not to L’Oréal in the future on terms such as “brightener” or “bleaching”. Words like this should be removed from skin care products.
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In a brief message, no reason for the decision was given at first. It also remained open as to when the new regulation would apply and whether products should possibly be withdrawn.
The consumer goods group already had this Unilever announced that he would like to give his lightening face cream “Fair & Lovely” a different name in the face of the racism debate. The company announced that the skin care products should address a more diverse ideal of beauty with all skin colors in the future. Johnson & Johnson also plans to remove two product lines from the market that, according to the company, have been used by customers as skin whiteners.
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It remains unclear whether the companies will completely forego these products in the future or just want to sell them under a different name and with different advertising. From the many different bleaching products that are on the market – creams, lotions, tablets – many people expect lighter skin, especially women in African and Asian countries. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 77 percent of women in Nigeria use skin whitening agents, compared to 60 percent in India.
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So-called bleaching, i.e. bleaching or lightening the skin, has become a billion dollar industry: in the Indian cosmetics market alone, the share of bleaching products is around 60 percent.
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This worldwide phenomenon can not only be extremely harmful to health – many bleaching products contain harmful ingredients such as mercury. That is why they are banned in many countries, but they are still sold. Affected people often suffer from scarring to skin cancer or liver and kidney damage.
Critics also see centuries-old racist thought patterns in this, since the products and their advertising equate fair skin with beauty and success. The Black Lives Matter movement has now put the manufacturers of bleaching creams under public pressure, especially on social media and with one Petition – apparently with first successes.
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