But it’s unlikely that fresh marketing by the world’s biggest brands in beauty will reverse deeply rooted prejudices around “colorism,” the idea that fair skin is better than dark skin. She said multinational companies like Unilever did not initiate skin tone bias, but have capitalized on it. So-called “bihaku” products, based on the Japanese characters for “beauty” and “white,” remain popular today among major brands. South Korean beauty company Amore Pacific said it uses the word “brightening” for exports to the U.S. to respect cultural diversity. The U.S.-based Procter & Gamble, which sells Olay brands “Natural White” and “White Radiance”, declined to comment when asked whether it had plans to rebrand globally.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 27, 2020 20:15 UTC