As it launches its new Positive Beauty vision and strategy – which aims to ‘champion a new era of beauty which is equitable and inclusive, as well as sustainable for the planet’ – Unilever is eliminating the word ‘normal’ from all of its beauty and personal care brands’ packaging and advertising.
Unilever says the decision is one of a number of moves it’s making to ‘challenge narrow beauty ideals, as we work towards helping to end discrimination and advocating for a more inclusive vision of beauty’.
Research commissioned by the British multinational found that the use of ‘normal’ to describe skin or hair makes most people feel excluded – 70% of people agreed that using the word on packaging and advertising has a negative impact, rising to 80% for those aged 18-35.
The 10,000-person study also revealed that 56% of people think the beauty and personal care industry can make people feel excluded, and 74% want to see the industry focus more on making people feel better not just look better.
we are committed to tackling
harmful norms and stereotypes and
shaping a broader, far more inclusive definition of beauty
“With one billion people using our beauty and personal care products every day, and even more seeing our advertising, our brands have the power to make a real difference to people’s lives,” comments Sunny Jain, president beauty & personal care. “As part of this, we are committed to tackling harmful norms and stereotypes and shaping a broader, 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. It’s just one of a number of actions we are taking as part of our Positive Beauty vision, which aims not only to do less harm, but more good for both people and the planet.”
In addition, 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.
