Neutrogena Takes Action on Skin Health Disparities

Leading mass market skin care brand Neutrogena has announced a new long-term commitment to the brand’s legacy in skin care science and health advocacy to advance skin health for all through a new platform called “For People With Skin.” 
 
Under this new mission, the Johnson & Johnson-owned brand is taking action to overcome skin health barriers , including the 130 million Americans who are impacted by skin health disparities due to socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity and access to healthcare.  
 
According to the Neutrogena Skin Health in America Survey, 62% of Americans, ages 18 and over, have recently experienced a situation where they were unable to access the skin care or medical expertise needed to help with a skin issue, and American adults earning less than $25,000 per year are 1.7 times less likely to have ever seen a dermatologist. Further, people with lower income earnings are less likely to seek preventative health care and have lower health literacy, contributing to skin health disparities. 
 
Neutrogena says it will offer the knowledge, tools and science-backed solutions to help all people achieve their best skin ever, no matter their skin issues, skin color, skin type or age, according to Kerry Sullivan, general manager, Neutrogena. 
 
“As a company devoted to skin health, Neutrogena is shining a spotlight on the critical need for expanded skin health expertise – as well as the financial and educational skin health barriers that stand in the way for achieving superior skin health and total well-being,” Sullivan said in a statement.
 
In a phone interview with Happi, Sullivan emphasized Neutrogena’s long-history in advancing skin science and its leadership position in the mass market skin care category as a foundation from where the brand will build.
 
“We are setting an even higher bar for ourselves,” she said.
 
“We are the No. 1 brand in skin care in US, and with that, you need to constantly need to live up to that,” Sullivan told Happi. 
 
Neutrogena will addressed layers of inequities, it said, by starting with the professional barrier of advocacy. When reviewing data surrounding medical training, Neutrogena found that 47% of dermatologists felt their training did not prepare them to treat Black skin] 
 
Not only are professionals not receiving enough training, but consumers themselves feel they lack the expertise on how best to take care of their own skin needs. 73% of Americans claim there are too many skincare options to choose from, and therefore feel it is hard to figure out what will work best for them.
 
The brand, which is a leader in the mass market, said it aims to be part of the solution, ensuring all people have access to skincare designed for their needs—advancing clinical research to test efficacy across all skin types and tones. 
 
Further, Neutrogena will take new steps to be more transparent in its products, specifically in advancing their standards for ingredients, packaging and sourcing. 

Advocacy and Education in Skin Health

Through this multi-faceted plan, the brand says it committed to continuing to take action to address barriers that stand in the way of skin health by investing in four core pillars of  advocacy, education, expertise, and transparency. 
 
Advocacy: Ensure equitable and accessible skin products for all consumers using an inclusive approach to identify key insights that drive meaningful product innovations and relevant claims in products that are safe for all consumers across the full Fitzpatrick scale of skin tones. 
 
The brand will also expand upon its existing partnership with the Johnson & Johnson Innovation's Black Innovators in Skin Health QuickFire Challenge, which awards one grant winner up to $50,000 to continue their work to advance science for products dedicated to skin of color. Areas of interest include acne and post-acne scarring, hyperpigmentatuion, scalp care and sun protection. The grant winner will be announced next month, according to a brand official.



  

Education: Deliver education and awareness of skin health issues to arm consumers with the knowledge to take better care of their skin. The brand will first address this with the launch of Neutrogena Studios, a new long-form entertainment division providing easily accessible information on skin health.
 
Expertise: Leverage R&D, scientist, and dermatologist expertise to make the best skin science, products and solutions, accessible and inclusive. To start, the brand is launching the Self-Exam Beautifully guide, a ‘skinclusive’ interactive microsite that represents a wide range of skin tones and types designed to make self-exams more inclusive and engaging for the purpose of early detection of skin cancers.
 
Transparency: Uncomplicate skincare to empower people to achieve their best skin, and feel good by doing so. The brand commits to ingredient transparency, increasing post-consumer recycled materials in our packaging, eliminating unnecessary cartons and plastic windows by 2023, and 100% recyclability for all plastic packaging by 2025.
 
One goal, said Sullivan is to “cut through the clutter.” She noted that Neutrogena's website has skin care glossary with visuals designed to empower consumers.
 
Storytelling That Educates and Entertains

Also new is Neutrogena Studios, an initiative developed under the new brand platform that will provide a medium to tell compelling stories that educate about the science behind skin health, celebrate healthy skin for all, and inspire people to action. The first film produced by the studio— In the Sun—follows the skin health journeys of seven families facing extraordinary circumstances as they navigate the long-term effects of living life in the sun, while still living vibrant lives. The film is executive produced by Kerry Washington, a long time Neutrogena ambassador and Emmy Award Winning actress.