India’s second-largest soap maker, Godrej Consumer Products Ltd. (GCPL) had decided to drop the use of word ‘fair’ from its wide range of soaps, many companies globally have taken similar steps over racial stereotyping and called for more inclusive products.
The company under the hygiene category sells the FairGlow brand of soaps, hand washes and wipes, which contributes about 26% of the company’s global business. The Fairflow soaps were launched in 1999, December when Godrej had decided to promote the fairness proposition with its soap in India, the soap penetrated a level of about 95% in households, while its skin creams reached only 25-30%.
Nisaba Godrej, Executive Chairperson and MD of GCPL said the company is not moving away from its FairGlow brand, it is actually sorting for change in its name and adds, that all the other consumer products companies are doing the same. Hindustan Unilever Ltd. (HUL), India’s largest packaged consumer goods firm in June, had also decided to drop the use of word ‘fair’ from its skincare brand Fair & Lovely, which is country’s largest-selling face care brand. From July, Fair & Lovely was re-branded as Glow and Lovely and, decided Glow and Handsome to be sold as the men’s segment of Fair & Lovely.
French beauty company, L’Oreal in June, had said that it will also remove the use of words ‘white’, ‘fair’, and ‘light’, from all of its skin even-ing products. Johnson & Johnson had also announced its plans to discontinue the product line of Neutrogena Fine Fairness and Clean & Clear fairness in India.