Unilever To Change Fair & Lovely

Another brand is addressing its trade dress. Unilever said it will remove references to “white” and “whitening” in its skin care products, and also plans to change the name of its Fair & Lovely brand, which is sold throughout Asia. In making the announcement, the company said it wants to promote a “more inclusive vision of beauty,” and will also remove the words “fair/fairness” and “light/lightening” from all of its products. Unilever markets a range of personal care brands under such well known names as Dove, Pond's and Vaseline.

Detractors have long noted that words such as “fair” and “light” conform to a Western ideal of beauty and social status. The formulas have been widely marketed in Asia.