Unilever Pakistan to change name of skin lightening cream

Popular skin complexion cream ‘Fair & Lovely’ has announced that it would stop using the word ‘Fair’ in the 40-year-old brand name.

The brand has long been criticised as perpetuating negative racial stereotypes and the company has faced intensified pressure in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Unilever Pakistan announced it was dropping the word “fair” from the name, a move applauded by some but criticised by others, with many people on social media saying it did not go far enough.

Amir Paracha, Chairman & CEO Unilever Pakistan Limited, said, “Unilever is an organization that is evolving continuously, and today we have taken the next bold step in our evolution by committing to a more inclusive and diverse portrayal of beauty." 
He further added “This ambition has been in the works for some time with significant steps such as the removal of the dual-faced cameo and shade guides from the packaging of Fair & Lovely in 2019. We have also moved the brand communication away from fairness towards glow which is a more holistic and inclusive measure of healthy skin. We are now committing to remove the word ‘Fair’ from the brand formerly known as 'Fair & Lovely'. The new name will be announced soon.”

Unilever, one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies, said that it would unveil a new brand name for Fair & Lovely “in the next few months”. Fair & Lovely makes more than $500 million a year for the company in India alone.

Dozens of petitions have sprung up on the Change.org website in recent weeks against the product, with one, started by a former Unilever employee, racking up more than 13,000 signatures.