The well-known beauty company Dove has been forced to change its product name to appeal to more consumers. The word “normal” will be removed from all Dove packaging. The decision was made after a 10,000 person survey was conducted. Results showed that many found the word “normal” to be non-inclusive. The change is set to go into effect in March of next year and was implemented by owners of Dove, the United Kingdom company, Unilever. Unilever is a larger company that controls Dove products and other lesser-known brands such as Sunsilk, Vaseline, and Lifebuoy. The results of the study indicated that the majority of people- fifty-six percent- felt excluded by the personal care and beauty industry. Specifically, participants age eighteen to thirty-five were especially thrown off by the word by eighty percent thus prompting Unilever to remove “normal”. The word “normal” has been used in previous years to describe skin type and hair texture. However, that apparently only fits consumers who are white. The word is to be replaced with more descriptive terms such as “moisture replenish” for skin care products and “gray hair” for shampoo products.
This change has been met with both positive and negative feedback on social media platforms causing controversy. To some, the change is necessary as they believe that black and white people cannot use the same hair and skin products. Another social media user believes the change makes sense as there are different types of skin types but does not find the word specifically offensive. Meanwhile, others suggest that the company no longer wants to appeal to regular consumers but appease the “woke” and “politically correct” community. Some people criticizing the topic even threatening to boycott Unilever and its smaller brands, leading to the opposite of the company’s goal which is to have more people buying their products.
Unilever’s Product and Beauty President, Stacy Jain, explained why she believes this change is imperative. Jain stated, “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.” She then pointed out that this alone will not fix the problem alone but is one step in the right direction. Jain said, “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.” The President aims to become a stronger and more successful business by implementing this Positive Beauty strategy.
