German company Beiersdorf, which owns the Nivea line of skincare products, will conduct a review of its products and marketing amid rising sentiment against racism.
The company is evaluating its global and regional product portfolios amid "changing perceptions" of its products and marketing, according to a report by The Times of India. This could possibly a reference to Nivea's skin-lightening creams and other similar products.
"Nivea and its parent company Beiersdorf stand against racism and discrimination of any kind. We are actively listening to and learning from the current conversations, committed to contribute to positive change,” Nivea India Managing Director Neil George told the paper.
Also read: Fair & Lovely's rebranding brings new opportunities for HUL and competitors
"Acknowledging the responsibility we have towards consumers worldwide, we have recently started a process of reviewing our global and regional product portfolios to determine the implications of changing perceptions for our product offering and marketing approach. Inclusive diversity, acceptance and togetherness are crucial to Beiersdorf's culture," George told the paper.
Nivea India did not respond to further queries by The Times of India.
Companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Unilever and L'Oreal have recently made changes to their products and marketing due to consumers' increasing sensitivity about racism.
US-based Johnson & Johnson recently said it would stop selling skin-lightening creams, and Hindustan Unilever (HUL) announced its intention to drop the word "fair" from the "Fair & Lovely" brand.
L'Oreal, too, followed suit and said it is dropping words such as "fairness", "whitening and "lightening" from its product descriptions.
Several protests against racism took place in the US after the death of George Floyd, an African-American man, who died while in Minneapolis police custody. The death also sparked outrage on social media from users across the globe.
