HUL to drop 'Fair' from 'Fair & Lovely' to become more 'inclusive'

FMCG giant Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) has decided to drop the word 'fair' from its famous flagship brand 'Fair & Lovely' fairness cream. Not only this, but the company will also give the brand a new name in the next few months. "Taking forward the brand's journey towards a more inclusive vision of beauty, the company will stop using the word 'Fair' in the brand name 'Fair & Lovely'," the company has said in a statement.

The new brand name has been submitted for regulatory approvals and would be changed soon, the company said.

Though the company has not mentioned the reason behind the change in the brand name, it's likely that the decision has been taken in the wake of protests across the world, especially in the United States, seeking authorities and companies to discourage racism or actions that can lead to racism.

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Notably, the brand is being sold as a fairness cream for over four decades and is a leader in the face cream segment in India. "We are making our skincare portfolio more inclusive and want to lead the celebration of a more diverse portrayal of beauty. In 2019, we removed the cameo with two faces as well as the shade guides from the packaging of Fair & Lovely and the brand communication progressed from fairness to glow, which is a more holistic and inclusive measure of healthy skin," Sanjiv Mehta, chairman at HUL, said, reported The Economic Times.

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Last week, Johnson & Johnson also decided to stop selling dark-spot reducers Neutrogena Fine Fairness and Clear Fairness.

The debate over racism gathered worldwide momentum after George Floyd, a black man in the US, was killed by a white police officer, who put his knee on his neck. Floyd kept saying "I can't breath" but the cop didn't budge, leaving him dead after eight minutes. The officer, Derek Chauvin, 44, has since been charged with second-degree murder and three other officers with aiding and abetting Floyd's May 25 death.

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