PARIS (AP) – French cosmetics giant L’Oreal said Saturday it will remove words like “whitening” from its skin care products, a move that comes amid global protests against death-related racism George Floyd in the United States.
The company said in a statement Saturday that “it has decided to remove the words white / whitening, fair / equitable, light / lightening from all of its overnight products.”
L’Oreal’s decision follows a similar move by Anglo-Dutch firm Unilever on Thursday. It is one of several companies that have come under fire in the wake of Floyd’s death after his arrest in Minneapolis.
Earlier this month, L’Oreal tweeted that it “stands in solidarity with the black community and against any kind of injustice. … Talking pays off. “The post drew negative reaction from people who see the company’s business model and advertising focused on white consumers.
English model Munroe Bergdorf notably accused the beauty brand of hypocrisy for firing her three years ago. Bergdorf was fired as the first openly transgender model from L’Oreal UK in 2017 for denouncing “white racial violence.”
