Johnson & Johnson drops skin-whitening creams
LONDON Johnson & Johnson has decided to stop selling skin-whitening creams popular in Asia and the Middle East, after such products have come under renewed social pressure amid a global debate about racial inequality.
Johnson & Johnson will stop selling its Clean & Clear Fairness line of products, sold in India, a spokeswoman said last week.
The killing of a Black man, George Floyd, on May 25 has sparked protests and widespread discussion of racial inequality across the United States and around the world. Four Minneapolis police officers have been charged in his death.
It was reported earlier this month that Johnson & Johnson would drop its Neutrogena Fine Fairness line, available in Asia and the Middle East.
“Conversations over the past few weeks highlighted that some product names or claims on our dark spot reducer products represent fairness or white as better than your own unique skin tone,” Johnson & Johnson said. “This was never our intention — healthy skin is beautiful skin.”
The company said it would no longer produce or ship the products, but that they might still appear on store shelves until stocks run out.
Creams that promise to lighten or brighten skin are marketed primarily to women by the world’s biggest personal care companies, including Unilever, Procter & Gamble and L’oreal. Those companies did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
About 6,277 tonnes of skin lightener were sold worldwide last year, according to Euromonitor International.