A large billboard advertising the "Fair and Lovely" skin lightening cream in Jessore, Bangladesh in 2010. Several major skincare manufacturers, including Unilever who produce Fair and Lovely, have since pledged to revise their branding and product lines to remove words like "whitening" and "fair."
A large billboard advertising the "Fair and Lovely" skin lightening cream in Jessore, Bangladesh in 2010. Several major skincare manufacturers, including Unilever who produce Fair and Lovely, have since pledged to revise their branding and product lines to remove words like "whitening" and "fair."
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Skin whitening products by Nivea for sale at a shop in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, India, in February 2019. The next year, Nivea's owner, Beiersdorf AG, distanced itself from the terms "whitening" and "fair," but research by CNN found that these same items were marketed on the brand's Indian website as recently as last month and other regional pages have continued to market products labeled "whitening."
Skin whitening products by Nivea for sale at a shop in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, India, in February 2019. The next year, Nivea's owner, Beiersdorf AG, distanced itself from the terms "whitening" and "fair," but research by CNN found that these same items were marketed on the brand's Indian website as recently as last month and other regional pages have continued to market products labeled "whitening."
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Unilever's rebranded Glow & Lovely Instant Glow Facewash at a general store in Mumbai, India, in 2021. The year before, the consumer giant announced that it was changing the name of its controversial Fair & Lovely brand to Glow & Lovely, but campaigners note that the word "fair" still features prominently as well as an image of a lighter-skinned woman.
Unilever's rebranded Glow & Lovely Instant Glow Facewash at a general store in Mumbai, India, in 2021. The year before, the consumer giant announced that it was changing the name of its controversial Fair & Lovely brand to Glow & Lovely, but campaigners note that the word "fair" still features prominently as well as an image of a lighter-skinned woman.
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L'Oreal's Men Expert White Activ Skin Brightening Foam, as advertised to customers in India.
L'Oreal's Men Expert White Activ Skin Brightening Foam, as advertised to customers in India.
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In 2008, a controversial Pond's ad series saw Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra play a character who wins back her lover by using the products to get a "pinkish-white glow." She apologized for her role in the commercials in her 2021 memoir.
In 2008, a controversial Pond's ad series saw Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra play a character who wins back her lover by using the products to get a "pinkish-white glow." She apologized for her role in the commercials in her 2021 memoir.
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A woman passes Japanese cosmetics company Shiseido's counter at a department store in Tokyo January 15, 2010. The company has made no public announcements regarding the branding of its "White Lucent" range, though it told CNN last year that its products "do not have the ability to whiten the skin."
A woman passes Japanese cosmetics company Shiseido's counter at a department store in Tokyo January 15, 2010. The company has made no public announcements regarding the branding of its "White Lucent" range, though it told CNN last year that its products "do not have the ability to whiten the skin."
Yuriko Nakao/Reuters
An advertisement for Nivea "Extra White" lotions outside a pharmacy in Bangkok, Thailand, in September 2021 -- around a year after the brand distanced itself from the terms "whitening" and "fair."
An advertisement for Nivea "Extra White" lotions outside a pharmacy in Bangkok, Thailand, in September 2021 -- around a year after the brand distanced itself from the terms "whitening" and "fair."
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Beauty and whitening products pictured at a retail outlet in Mumbai, India, in 2009. In 2020, Johnson & Johnson announced it would stop selling skin whitening products altogether in Asia and the Middle East and has since dropped its Neutrogena Fine Fairness and Clean & Clear Fairness lines from these markets.
Beauty and whitening products pictured at a retail outlet in Mumbai, India, in 2009. In 2020, Johnson & Johnson announced it would stop selling skin whitening products altogether in Asia and the Middle East and has since dropped its Neutrogena Fine Fairness and Clean & Clear Fairness lines from these markets.
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