The beauty industry has been selling women hope in a jar for centuries. But what would happen if it shifted the lens towards a more inclusive and supportive vision of beauty?

It's a question answered by Unilever’s new global approach to beauty marketing, described as ‘positive beauty’ and a response to the brand’s commitment to create positive change for people and the planet. The move is more than simply garnering headlines at the brand, which has long been at the forefront of advocating for a more progressive and inclusive approach to marketing through the Unstereotype Alliance.

Unilever has announced it is to eliminate the word ’normal’ from all its beauty and personal care brands packaging and advertising as part of its new Positive Beauty vision and strategy. The decision is part of a range of internal and external initiatives at the brands to challenge narrow beauty ideals. They’re moves which the brand views as part of “working towards helping to end discrimination and advocating more a more inclusive vision of beauty.”

Sarah Degnan Kambou, President of the International Centre for Research on Women, explained: “Every day, we see and hear messages about how to ‘fit in’, how to be included in very narrow definitions of what is ‘normal’. In order to champion equity, 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.”

Raising the bar, revolutionising aspiration

The move comes in the midst of a substantial global research campaign for the brand, which underlines the fact that what was perhaps viewed as aspirational in beauty advertising, was in fact alienating consumers and making them feel less-than. The 10,000-person study commissioned by Unilever and conducted across nine countries revealed that more than half of consumers (56%) think that the beauty and personal care industry can make people feel excluded.

The research also underlined the growing range of data points that show that beauty is about more than just surface level appearance. Reflecting the growing influence of the burgeoning self-care industry, the research shows that 74% of people want to see the beauty and personal care industry focusing more on making people feel better, rather than simply look better.

Sunny Jain, President Beauty & Personal Care, explained: “With one billion people using our beauty and personal care products every day, and even more seeing our advertising, our brands have the power to make a real difference to people’s lives. As part of this, we are committed to tackling harmful norms and stereotypes and shaping a broader, far more inclusive definition of beauty.”

“We know that removing ‘normal’ from our products and packaging will not fix the problem alone, but it is an important step forward. It’s just one of a number of actions we are taking as part of our Positive Beauty vision, which aims not only to do less harm, but more good for both people and the planet,” added Jain.

A holistic approach to sustainable business

The shift in approach underlines Unilever’s holistic approach to sustainable business, incorporating not just the impact of its environmental footprint, but the visual footprint, on consumer’s wellbeing. The brand has committed to not digitally altering a person’s body shape, size, proportion or skin colour in its brand advertising. In addition, the brand has said it will increase the number of adverts portraying people from diverse groups who are under-represented.

Positive Beauty follows the launch of Clean Future, the sustainable business strategy of Unilever’s Home Care Division in September 2020, and Future Foods, the sustainable business strategy of Unilever’s Foods & Refreshment Division in November 2020. The commitment underlines a recognition of the cultural significance and power of a global brand’s visual footprint.

Purpose for growth

More than a single brand marketing campaign, the Positive Beauty approach aligns with Unilever’s goals of driving positive change for people and the planet. As Unilever’s Jain explains: “With more consumers than ever rewarding brands which take action on the social and environmental issues they care about, we believe that Positive Beauty will make us a stronger, and more successful business.”

The positive beauty commitment is underlined by three key commitments. The first centres on taking action through Unilever brands to improve health and wellbeing, and advance equity and inclusion, aiming to reach one billion people per year by 2030. It’s an approach which will be focused on helping end discrimination in beauty and champion inclusion, by challenging narrow beauty ideals and building a more inclusive portfolio of products. It is also designed to drive gender equity, including stepping up brand programmes, advocacy to challenge the status quo and #unstereotype advertising as well as improving health and wellbeing. This will be achieved through existing educational initiatives in handwashing and oral hygiene and expanding this focus into new areas, including physical health and mental wellbeing. It’s a shift which not only underlines the growing mental health crisis facing the globe but also the more holistic approach to health and wellness consumers are embracing.

The second commitment is centred around a pledge to help protect and regenerate 1.5 million hectares of land, forests and oceans by 2030, one which will be reflected by a focus on sustainable innovation. Thirdly and finally, the brand is supporting a global ban on animal testing for cosmetics by 2023, working alongside lawmakers, animal protection organisations and like-minded companies. Twenty-three Unilever beauty and personal care brands are now PETA Approved, with more working towards certification.

Raising the bar 

While the inevitable flurry of social media slap backs to badly thought-out International Women’s Day brand campaigns may add to the cynicism surrounding purpose in marketing, Unilever’s research underlines the growing importance of businesses taking a holistic approach to purpose. An approach which extends to their marketing output and greater mindfulness about the impact of their marketing footprint.

Regardless of the debate around the role of purpose in marketing, the research underlines a simple truth: consumers increasingly expect brands to take a stand on the issues they care most about. Unilever’s brands perceived as more purposeful grew more than twice as fast as the rest of the portfolio in 2020. The company’s research further 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 would pay more for these products.

Diversity is good for business and smart brands aren’t simply responding to this trend, they are standing up and setting a new framework for growth. One that no longer simply sells consumers hope in a jar but instead shows them as they are, cares how they feel and reminds us all that beauty, and beauty advertising can be more than skin deep.