Unilever PLC said it would change the name of controversial skin-lightening cream Fair & Lovely, one of its top-selling personal-care brands, amid mounting criticism that it suggests light skin is more attractive than dark.
Hindustan Unilever’s Fair and Lovely, which has an annual revenue of over 3,000 crores, is sold in more than a dozen markets, primarily in Asian countries such as Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Pakistan, but India remains its biggest market.
Chairman Sanjiv Mehta told that the name change had been in the works since last year and that the company had applied for a new trademark a few months ago.
Criticism of the brand has stepped up in recent weeks, with several online petitions calling for Unilever to scrap the product gaining thousands of backers. The company has also faced criticism from its own employees in recent town-hall meetings, according to a person familiar with the matter.
According to an information on the website of India’s Trade Marks Registry, HUL had applied for a new brand, ‘Glow & Lovely’, on June 17, 2020.
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