The consumer goods giant announced on Tuesday that it will no longer use the term to describe certain physical properties on its packaging for beauty and personal care products, which include Rexona deodorants and Sunsilk shampoos.
The company says the move “comes because global research on people’s experiences of the beauty industry reveals that using ‘normal’ to describe hair or skin makes most people feel excluded.”
Unilever (UL) is one of the largest retail suppliers in the world, with 2.5 billion customers in more than 190 countries.
said in a statement that a recent study commissioned and carried out found that “seven out of ten [respondents] agree that the use of the word ‘normal’ has a negative effect on product packaging and advertising. For younger people – 18-35 years old – it rises to eight out of ten. ‘
More than half of those surveyed also said that “they now pay more attention to a company’s attitude towards social issues before buying products,” Unilever added.
“With one billion people using our beauty and personal care products every day, and even more seeing our ads, our brands have the power to make a significant difference in people’s lives,” said Sunny Jain, Unilever’s president of beauty and personal care, said in the company’s statement.
“We know that removing ‘normal’ from our products and packaging will not solve the problem alone, but it is an important step forward.”
According to the company’s own account, it has even more work to do.
Unilever also said Tuesday that it will no longer digitally change a person’s body shape, size, proportions or skin color in the brand ad, and that it will increase the number of ads featuring people from different groups who are underrepresented. ‘
Businesses around the world have increasingly rebranded following the demands of customers to be more inclusive. Last year, many large companies renamed or retired products, including Quaker Oats with its Aunt Jemima brand in the United States and Nestlé with its Red Skins and Chicos sweets in Australia.
Unilever was no exception. Last year, its Indian subsidiary, Hindustan Unilever, removed the word “Fair” from its “Fair & Lovely” care brand after complaints.
The company acknowledged in a statement at the time that it had previously played ‘the benefits of fairness, whitening and skin lightening’ while marketing its products. The brand is now called “Glow & Lovely”.
Participants, including L’Oreal (LRLCF) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), also said that for similar reasons, they will rename or discontinue some of their skincare brands in India.
Unilever has been working over the past year to diversify its product lines through partnerships with minority businesses. In 2017, for example, the company made headlines for acquiring Sundial Brands, the maker of SheaMoisture and other popular black-owned skin and hair care brands.
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