Unilever is facing calls to scrap a range of skin lightening products in South Asia, with critics saying a rebranding announced on Thursday was a "gimmick" that did not fully resolve the problem.
Fair & Lovely products are sold across Asia, but the brand has long been criticised for perpetuating negative racial stereotypes and the company has faced intensified pressure in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement.
It takes more than a change of name to erase the damage
On Thursday, Unilever announced it was dropping the word "fair" from the name, a move applauded by some but criticised by others, with many people on social media in India saying it did not go far enough.
One Twitter user urged the company to "pull the plug on the product", while another said if the brand was "targeting the same set of people even with a different name, it doesn't become any less problematic", calling the change "a gimmick".
A spokeswoman for the company said it was removing all references to whitening and lightening from its branding and that the name change was "not the end destination".
"We will also continue to evolve our advertising, to feature women of different skin tones, representative of the variety of beauty across India and other countries. We are fully committed to caring for and celebrating all skin tones," she said.
India's longstanding obsession with light skin has given rise to a lucrative cosmetics industry with a host of products claiming to offer darker-skinned Indians a fairer and better version of themselves, often endorsed by top Bollywood actors.
After years of criticism and campaigns against such products, many brands moved to calling them "skin brightening", "whitening" or "lightening" creams and face washes.
Unilever said it would remove the words "fair/fairness", "white/whitening", and "light/lightening" from all its products and rename "Fair & Lovely" in the next few months.
Kavita Krishnan, an activist with the All India Progressive Women's Association, urged the company to acknowledge the "toxic culture" it promoted over decades by equating fairness with beauty, confidence and success.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in an early Fair & Lovely ad:
"They have to answer for all of this," said Krishnan, adding that her dark skin meant she often had shopkeepers try to push such products on her.
"They should be dropping the product," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Kavitha Emmanuel, founder of India's Dark Is Beautiful campaign, welcomed the move, but said the battle was not over.
"Is the narrative on skin whitening really being challenged, or is it just a surface level declaration? This we are yet to see," she said in emailed comments.
"It takes more than a change of name to erase the damage."
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate
Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
