INDUSTRY TALK
Positive beauty vision and strategy challenges narrow ideals
In South Africa, designing products that cater to all people is recognised as one of the most pressing challenges that the beauty and personal care industry should address. In response, Unilever has announced it will adopt a clearer mission surrounding inclusive beauty standards. This forms part of the multinational’s positive beauty vision and strategy.
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he move will see Unilever eliminate the word ‘normal’ from the packaging and advertising of all its beauty and personal care (BPC) brands. It is one of many steps that the multinational is taking to challenge narrow beauty ideals and to work towards helping to end discrimination and advocate for a more inclusive vision of beauty. The decision comes after global research into people’s experiences of the beauty industry revealed that many groups are left feeling inadequate or marginalised by impossible standards they experience on a daily basis. Commissioned by Unilever, the 10 000-person study conducted across nine countries, including in South Africa, found that: • despite the majority of people in South Africa describing the industry as ‘innovative’ (70%) and ‘creative’ (60%), four in 10 people also describe it as ‘only for some’ (39%)
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APRIL 2021 // WWW.PHARMACOS.CO.ZA
• more than two in three people in South Africa (67%) agree that the beauty and personal care industry makes certain people feel excluded • the beauty industry is seen as contributing to the spread of narrow beauty ideals and seven in 10 (71%) think that it pressurises people into thinking they need to look a certain way • having clear skin, a nice smile, skin that is soft, an overall fair complexion and smelling nice are some of the most pressing concerns from from a South African beauty and personal care standpoint • other societal and cultural norms include the need to be both accomplished professionally and physically (66%) and to be pure and feminine (60%) • the majority of people in South Africa agree that the beauty and personal care industry still has some way to go in representing people of various body types (77%), from different age groups (75%), different ethnicities (73%), and people from the LGBTQIA+ community (61%) • one in two people in South Africa (49% for skin and 52% for hair)
think that labels on beauty products contribute to narrow beauty ideals • seven in 10 people (71%) think that using non-inclusive beauty product packaging and non-inclusive advertising has a negative impact on people. This is especially pronounced for the younger age groups, rising to eight in 10% (80%) for those aged between 18 and 35 compared to 52% for those older than 55.
LOCAL BRANDS WITH A PURPOSE Positive beauty will champion a new era of beauty which not only does less harm but also more good for people and the planet. It sets out several progressive commitments and actions for Unilever’s beauty and personal care brands, including Dove and Lifebuoy. “Over the years Dove has seen many partnerships that have assisted the brand in bringing the narrative around ‘positive beauty’ to the South African consumer. This was done through various campaigns that have celebrated all types of beauty,” says Keegan Alicks, beauty and personal care category director, Southern Africa. “Lifebuoy is the original brand with purpose and thus perfectly positioned to support this movement of positive beauty and to driving awareness in South Africa. One of the pillars of positive beauty is through the movement’s ‘people positive’ approach and the aim to improve health and wellbeing for all. “Lifebuoy has been working together with the Department of Basic Education for a number of years to instil proper handwashing practices. To date, it has reached over 3mn grade 1 learners through the National Schools Hygiene and Sanitation Programme. In 2020, the programme was expanded from 15 000 schools to 23 000 schools with an annual reach of over 12mn learners, from grade R to matric.”
