Positive beauty vision and strategy

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.

The 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%)

• 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.”

TRANSFORMATION IN FORMULATION DESIGN

Using Unilever’s world-class innovation and technology, positive beauty will also help to drive transformation in how products are designed and formulated so that they not only deliver a superior product experience, but also tap into consumer trends.

Sunny Jain, president of beauty andpersonal care, says: “With 1bn people usingour beauty and personal care products everyday, and even more seeing our advertising,our brands have the power to make a realdifference in people’s lives. As part of this,we are committed to tackling harmful normsand stereotypes and shaping a broader, farmore inclusive definition of beauty. We knowthat removing ‘normal’ from our products andpackaging will not fix the problem alone, but itis an important step forward.”

In addition to this, Unilever will not digitallyalter a person’s body shape, size, proportionor skin colour in its brand advertising andwill increase the number of advertisementsportraying people from diverse groups whoare under-represented.

Positive beauty will also accelerateUnilever’s science and technologyprogrammes and innovation partnerships,driving the continued transformation of howits products are designed and formulated tobecome more people- and planet-positive.This includes developing tailored products toserve the diverse needs of people around theworld, including South Africa, and deliveringreal and meaningful consumer benefitsbacked by cutting-edge science. Innovationwill also advance the use of more natural,biodegradable and regenerative ingredients– alongside continued packaging innovationsthat use less, better or no plastic.

DRIVING POSITIVE CHANGE

Unilever’s decision to remove the word ‘normal’ from its packaging and advertising is just one action within the set of three commitments the multinational has made to create real and measurable impact. These include:

1. Taking action through its brands to improve health and wellbeing and advance equity and inclusion – reaching 1bn people per year by 2030. The focus will be on helping to end discrimination in beauty and to champion inclusion, by challenging narrow beauty ideals and building a more inclusive portfolio of products. The company is committed to driving gender equity by stepping up brand programmes, advocating to challenge the status quo and #unstereotyping advertising. It also aims to improve health and wellbeing through existing educational initiatives in handwashing and oral hygiene and expanding focus into new areas, including physical health and mental wellbeing.

2. Helping to protect and regenerate 1.5mn hectares of land, forests and oceans by 2030, which is more land than is required to grow the renewable ingredients in Unilever’s beauty and personal care products.

3. Supporting a global ban on animal testing for cosmetics by 2023, working alongside lawmakers, animal protection organisations and like-minded companies. A total of 23 Unilever beauty and personal care brands are now PETA approved, with more working towards certification. At the heart of the delivery of these commitments will be Unilever’s beauty and personal care brands, many of which have a track record of delivering impactful programmes and purpose-led growth. More of its beauty and personal care brands will join the likes of Dove, Lifebuoy, Vaseline and Sunsilk by taking action against social and environmental challenges and advocating for the evolution of norms, policies and laws.

Sarah Degnan Kambou, president of the International Centre for Research on Women, says: “Every day, we see and hear messages about how to ‘fit in’ and how to be included in very narrow definitions of what is ‘normal’. In order to champion equality, we need to challenge these restrictive ‘norms’ and create societies and communities that celebrate diversity – and the unique qualities and ideas that each person brings. Beauty is no exception. We look forward to seeing Unilever advance these commitments and hold themselves to the high standards they have set out before them.” •

Did you know?

In 2020, Unilever’s brands that are perceived as more purposeful grew more than twice as fast as the rest of its product portfolio. The company’s research supports this trend, with the majority of people (69%) saying they will recommend a beauty brand to their friends and family if it caters to a wide range of skin and hair types, while half of respondents said they would pay more for these products.