Daily Times

The American multinational consumer-products company Johnson & Johnson has announced their plan to stop selling skin-whitening creams widely used for skin lightening around Asia and Middle East.

The move has been taken after the renewed social pressure after killing of African American George Floyd that resulted in a global debate about racial inequality.

“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 healthcare 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 under their respective brands Fair & Lovely, Olay and Garnier.

About 6,277 tonnes of skin lightener were sold worldwide last year, according to Euromonitor International, including products marketed as anti-ageing creams targeting dark spots or freckles.