On Tuesday PARIS — L’Oreal cosmetic group’s chief executive Mr. Jean Paul Agon said, that ‘the organization would drop words such as “white” from certain products’, a similar business strategy introduced by Unilever. Rumor has it that, this particular decision taken by two of the colossal companies predominant in the beauty & cosmetic industry has been significantly influenced by the recent upheaval in the United States of America caused by the massive protests due to the racial injustice towards the late Mr. George Floyd by its police department.
Mr.Agon told the shareholder meeting, conducted online, “We’re simply adapting our vocabulary, to meet changing expectations and attitudes.” He further says, ‘”glow” and “even” were more appropriate words for these products’. The usage of the terms such as’ fairness and whiteness’ is predominantly used in the Asian counties by the cosmetic industries to propagate their products based on the psychological behaviour patterns of their customers. Mr. Agon told investors on Tuesday that the rethink was targeted at specific products sold in Asia and countries like India that are specifically aimed at protecting skin from the sun and avoiding dark spots.
#BREAKING: ** WORLD'S LARGEST COSMETIC/BEAUTY COMPANY THINKS WHITE PEOPLE ARE BAD ** L'Oreal to remove words like "whitening" and "fair" [and more] from its products https://t.co/WgG39YaVgl #Loreal pic.twitter.com/73XTeX6pNo
— 🍔TVDinner🍟 (She/Her/Shithead) (@tvdinner2) June 27, 2020
I genuinely have no idea what this is trying to achieve? The word ‘white’ or ‘whitening’ surely isn’t racist it’s a colour like blue or red? If you feel you need to lose the word surely you actually need to lose the product… or not at all? #Loreal 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/rM1azIsOpz
— Oly Collins (@OlyCollins) June 27, 2020
Nevertheless, a revision of such strategies adopted by the large organizations is reshaping the branding strategies of the companies by sensitizing the enterprises regarding the marketing strategies they adopt for their products, perhaps, crucial for the brand value. However, Mr Agon also said that ‘There’s no need for all the media hype on this. But I recognize we should have explained it better’.