Following today’s news (9 March) that Unilever has dropped ‘normal’ claims when referring to skin and hair types in a bid to push an inclusivity message;

Amira Freyer-Elgendy, Consumer Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers her view:

“Removing descriptors such as ‘Normal’, alongside other inclusivity actions such as the company’s promise to stop digital alterations to the bodies and skin color of models in their campaigns, illustrates that inclusivity is not just a passing trend for Unilever or limited to brands with a matching public image, like Dove.

“According to a survey by GlobalData asking whether consumers’ purchasing decisions were impacted by whether or not a company supported social causes, one in four believe that it is essential and a further 45% believe it is a ‘nice to have’*. Younger consumers were found to be even more likely to see the importance of social causes, with almost a third (31%) of under 35s agreeing that this support is essential to their decision of whether to purchase from a brand.

“Unilever’s commitment to embracing all types of beauty should be commended, and indeed has been well received so far. Now shoppers need not feel like they are ‘abnormal’ and can simply reach for products that tailor to their needs.”

* Data taken from GlobalData’s 2021 Q1 survey of 21,000 global consumers