Unilever rebrands its Fair & Lovely skin-lightening cream

The World

Consumer giant Unilever announced it will rebrand its bestselling skin-lightening cream, Fair & Lovely, by dropping the word “fair” from its name. It will also remove words such as “fair/fairness,” “white/whitening” and “light/lightening” from its branding and packaging. Unilever and its Indian subsidiary, Hindustan Unilever, have faced backlash for promoting colorism, or discrimination against people with darker skin tones. Mumbai-based documentarian Richa Sanwal has been familiar with the Fair & Lovely cream — and colorism — since she was a child growing up in India.

Do you support journalism that strengthens our democracy?

At The World, we believe strongly that human-centered journalism is at the heart of an informed public and a strong democracy. We see democracy and journalism as two sides of the same coin. If you care about one, it is imperative to care about the other.

Every day, our nonprofit newsroom seeks to inform and empower listeners and hold the powerful accountable. Neither would be possible without the support of listeners like you. If you believe in our work, will you give today? We need your help now more than ever! Every gift will be matched 2:1, so your impact will go even further.