Skin whitening cream ‘Fair & Lovely’ decides to drop ‘Fair’ from its name

India — where sales of Fair & Lovely are 40% of the face care category — will lead the changes being made to the brand name that is still awaiting permissions from a regulator for its new name and identity.

India’s largest packaged consumer goods firm, Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL), said it will drop the word ‘fair’ from its over four-decade-old skin care brand Fair & Lovely—India’s largest selling face care brand—in its attempt to re-brand the skin care range as consumers seek more equitable forms of beauty.

HUL’s move comes as more brands are being prompted to market products that are more “inclusive” as opposed to perpetuating social stereotypes and elevating long-held ideals of beauty—that in a market like India is often equated with fairness.(Photo: unilever.com)

India — where sales of Fair & Lovely are 40% of the face care category — will lead the changes being made to the brand name that is still awaiting permissions from a regulator for its new name and identity.

HUL’s move comes as more brands are being prompted to market products that are more “inclusive” as opposed to perpetuating social stereotypes and elevating long-held ideals of beauty—that in a market like India is often equated with fairness.

“...The new name is awaiting regulatory approvals, and the pack with the revised name will be available in the market in the next few months,” the company said in a statement on Thursday.