REPORT ON THE ANALYSIS OF MARKETING STRATEGIES

BY FAIRNESS CREAMS

A Project Submitted to
HSNC University, Mumbai for partial completion of
the degree of Master in Commerce
Under the Faculty of Commerce

By

JAINAM ASHWIN MALDE

M.COM. BUSINESS MANAGEMENT (SEMESTER III) ROLL NO - 31

Under the guidance of

DR JASBIR SODI

H.R. COLLEGE OF COMMERCE AND ECONOMICS

VIDYASAGAR PRINCIPAL K.M. KUNDNANI CHOWK123, D.W. ROAD, CHURCHGATE,
MUMBAI – 400 020.

ACADEMIC YEAR 2022-2023

NOVEMBER 2022

1
 REPORT ON THE ANALYSIS OF MARKETING STRATEGIES
BY FAIRNESS CREAMS

A Project Submitted to
HSNC University, Mumbai for partial completion of
the degree of Master in Commerce
Under the Faculty of Commerce

By

JAINAM ASHWIN MALDE

M.COM. BUSINESS MANAGEMENT (SEMESTER III) ROLL NO - 31

Under the guidance of

DR JASBIR SODI

H.R. COLLEGE OF COMMERCE AND ECONOMICS

VIDYASAGAR PRINCIPAL K.M. KUNDNANI CHOWK123, D.W. ROAD, CHURCHGATE,
MUMBAI – 400 020.

ACADEMIC YEAR 2022-2023

NOVEMBER 2022

2
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

SR NO CONTENTS PAGE NO

1 DECLARATION BY LEARNER 4

2 CERTIFICATE 5

3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 6

4 PREFACE 7

5 CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION 8

6 CHAPTER 2 : LITERATURE REVIEW 9

7 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM 18

8 OBJECTIVES 19

9 HYPOTHESIS 20

10 SCOPE OF THE STUDY 21

11 LIMITATIONS 21

12 CHAPTER 3 : RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 22

13 CHAPTER 4 : DATA ANALYSIS - SECONDARY DATA 25

14 CASE STUDY 36

15 DATA ANALYSIS - PRIMARY DATA 39

16 INTERVIEWS 54

17 CHAPTER 5 : RECOMMENDATION & CONCLUSION 59

18 BIBLIOGRAPHY 62

19 APPENDICE : RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE 65

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 Declaration by Learner

I the undersigned Mr. Jainam Ashwin Malde ( Roll No: 31 BM : Sem 3 ) hereby, declare that the work
embodied in this project work titled “ REPORT ON THE ANALYSIS OF MARKETING STRATEGIES
BY FAIRNESS CREAMS”, forms my own contribution to the research work carried out under the
guidance of Dr Jasbir Sodi is a result of my own research work and has not been previously submitted to
any other University for any other Degree/ Diploma to this or any other University.

Wherever reference has been made to previous works of others, it has been clearly indicated as such and
included in the bibliography.

The learner has complied with the provisions of the UGC(Promotion of Academic Integrity and Prevention
of Plagiarism in Higher Educational Institution)Regulation 2018.

I, hereby further declare that all information of this document has been obtained and presented in
accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct.

Name and Signature of the learner

Certified by

Name and Signature of the Guiding Teacher

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 H.R. COLLEGE OF COMMERCE AND ECONOMICS
VIDYASAGAR PRINCIPAL K.M. KUNDNANI CHOWK123, D.W. ROAD, CHURCHGATE,
MUMBAI – 400 020.

Certificate

This is to certify that Mr. Jainam Ashwin Malde ( Roll No: 31 BM : Sem 3 ) has worked and duly
completed his Project work for the degree of Master of Commerce under the Faculty of Commerce in the
subject of Business Management (Marketing strategies) and his project is entitled REPORT ON THE
ANALYSIS OF MARKETING STRATEGIES BY FAIRNESS CREAMS under my supervision.

I further certify that the entire work has been done by the learner under my guidance and that no part of it
has been submitted previously for any degree or diploma of any University. It is his own work and facts
reported by his personal findings and investigations.

Seal of the College Signature of Guiding Teacher

Date of Submission: 12th November 2022

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

To list who all have helped me is difficult because there are so many and the depth is so enormous.
I would like to acknowledge the following as being idealistic channels and fresh dimensions in the
completion of this project.
I take this opportunity to thank the HSNC UNIVERSITY for giving me the chance to do this project. I
would like to thank my principal, Mrs Pooja Ramchandani for providing the necessary facilities required
for the completion of this project.
I take this opportunity to thank the coordinator Dr. Jasbir Sodi for her moral support and guidance.
I would also like to express my sincere gratitude towards my project guide Dr. Jasbir Sodi whose guidance
and care made the project successful.
I would like to thank my college library for having provided various reference books and magazines related
to my project.
Lastly, I would like to thank each and every person who directly or indirectly helped me in the completion of
the project, especially my parents and peers who supported me throughout my project.

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 PREFACE

India's Skin-lightening or ‘fairness’ cream market is evolving at rapid speed, fueled by television
advertisements by the celebrities and the rapidly changing lifestyles. India's proactive FMCG market has
seen significant growth in the cosmetic market in the last two decades and fairness cream accounts for the
major part of the cosmetic market with an average growth rate of 20% per annum.

According to a recently published report, "India Fairness Cream & Bleach Market Overview, 2018- 2023",
the women's fairness cream category is anticipated to achieve market revenues of more than Rs. 5,000 crores
by year 2023.

This study aims to deliver an understanding of the Fairness Cream/Skin Lightening Cream Industry in India,
by diving into the rise of the category, its growth drivers and the leading brands in the segment.

Through a primary data analysis, the study aims to uncover 2 aspects of the industry:

● A consumer survey helps gauge an analysis of their awareness about the category and its brands;
their purchase behaviour – patterns, factors influencing their decision and product expectations; their
views on the commercial advertisements by leading brands in the segment.
● A qualitative research through interviews of respected professionals in the marketing and advertising
industry to evaluate their perspective of the product/category, the commercial advertisements by
leading brands in the segment and the recent developments in the marketing strategies of a few
market leaders in this segment.

A survey was done of 150 respondents of different age groups, different educational levels and different
classes of society. A questionnaire was created and required to be filled by them. Based on the responses,
data analysis was executed and the findings have been given in the report.

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 CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION

The word cosmetics is derived from the Greek, meaning "technique of dress and ornament". Cosmetics
(colloquially known as makeup or make-up) are care substances used to enhance the appearance or odour of
the human body. They are generally mixtures of chemical compounds, some being derived from natural
sources, many being synthetic.
According to science, our skin gets darkened because of production of melanin cells secreted by the pineal
gland. The gland becomes active when our skin gets exposed to the sun. To prevent our skin from sunburn,
melanin gets produced which protects our skin from harmful rays of sun. Due to these melanin cells'
production, our skin gets tanned and thus, darkened.
That is why people living in snowy and less sunny regions have a fairer complexion than those living in hot
and sunny regions. Thus, by applying fairness cream on our faces, the cream acts as a shield. Since it acts as
a barrier between sunrays and our skin, the melanin need not be produced and hence, our skin does not get
tanned and darkened. It has been proved repeatedly in scientific journals that fairness creams do not make
one fair. But nowadays, there are creams that make your skin fairer. Such creams contain tropical salts. They
remove the layer of melanin that gets deposited on our skin due to tanning due to sun rays . So,they react
with melanin & remove it from our face and thus our skin looks fairer than before. The major markets for
fairness creams are:
1. India and Sri Lanka (Largest Market)
2. Saudi Arabia
3. Gulf Countries
4. Africa
5. Malaysia
6. Bangladesh

India's Skin-lightening or ‘fairness’ cream market is evolving at rapid speed, fueled by television
advertisements by the celebrities and the rapidly changing lifestyles. India's proactive FMCG market has
seen remarkable significant growth in the cosmetic market in the last two decades and fairness creams
accounts for the major part of the cosmetic market with an average growth rate of 20% per annum.

8
 CHAPTER 2 : LITERATURE REVIEW

ARTICLE 1

“Dark days ahead for fairness cream ads in India?"

Published By: Exchange4Media

Published On: February 17, 2020

We asked thought leaders how the new rules can change the whole ad narrative of skin-lightening creams if
the proposed bill by the government is implemented.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare last week proposed to amend the Drugs and Magic Remedies
(Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954. The new rules would be drafted under Drugs and Magic
Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) (Amendment) Bill, 2020. Under this act, brands endorsing
pharmaceutical products for fairness of skin, hair loss, improvement of height or obesity, among others, will
be faced with a penalty of Rs 50 lakh and will serve prison time up to five years. The Ministry has asked for
suggestions, comments or objections from the public or stakeholders with regard to the said draft Bill. Quite
often, brands in India have tagged dark skin as an undesirable trait or skin ailment and used this notion to
market their creams. We asked thought leaders how the new rules can change the whole narrative if the
proposed bill is enforced.

The ‘dark’ side of the beauty business

Priya Gurnani, Senior Creative Director, Publicis Ambience, feels that while pulling the plugs on fairness
cream advertising is a step in the right direction, it is really the mindset of the buyers that needs to change.
“Preference for fairer skin colour is still very prevalent in most parts of our country, especially for women.
Fueling this peer pressure, brands have ridden the bandwagon on fairness creams to maximize their profits.
Banning fairness cream ads seems a step in the right direction where social moral responsibility is
concerned. But then again, the desperate Indian buyers will still turn to fairness creams as their last resort.
The problem is rooted deeper,” she points out. And rightly so, India continues to be plagued by a
deep-rooted fascination for a lighter skin tone, evident by a flourishing industry, enabling just that.
According to the India Fairness Cream & Bleach Market Overview, 2018-2023 report, the women's fairness
cream category is anticipated to achieve market revenues of more than Rs 5,000 crore by year 2023. Rising
influence of media and entertainment, pressure from the society to look well-groomed all the time,
inferiority complex about darker skin colour, desire to try new products launched in the country, escalating

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number of young population, etc. are some of the factors that have been driving the market of women's
fairness cream market in last few years and.
To curb what maybe be referred as a cultural problem, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI)
rolled out a charter in 2014 which prohibited cosmetic brands from communicating any discrimination based
on skin colour through advertising. The guidelines further stated that no brands can use post-production
visual effects to exaggerate product efficacy as well.

Advertising with ‘conscience’.

As per recent reports, celebrities like Taapsee Pannu, Dia Mirza and Sona Mohapatra have hailed the
government's proposed bill to ban fairness cream advertisements. Pannu stated that she will never endorse
fairness as a benchmark for beauty while Mirza asserted that as we evolve in our understanding of what kind
of advertising perpetuates stereotypes, gender discrimination and falsehoods, we must collectively take
responsibility to ensure such demeaning advertising ends. Mohapatra, who was a brand manager herself a
couple of years ago, said that it is about time that we acknowledge the regressive, deeply disturbing nature
and impact of such toxic advertising campaigns.
Raghu Bhat, Founder, Scarecrow M&C Saatchi opines that we are not going to suddenly see 'advertising
with a conscience' but should lead to brands being very guarded and precise in their efficacy claims. “The
Magic Remedies Act has expanded its ambit to 78 ailments including fairness creams. The big change is that
ads can't promise magical transformation. Rather, the use of 'subtle body-shaming' and emotional triggers
will continue. But particular attention will be paid in crafting the exact words for the product window,” Bhat
explains.
To self-regulate and shift the narrative.
While focused associations and govt now prohibit companies from advertising their products with
misleading claims, this isn’t a fresh occurrence. The ban was first introduced by the Ministry of Information
and Broadcasting (MIB) in 2014 for brands wanting to broadcast advertisements. It had put a ban on
broadcasters from running an ad that didn’t comply with ASCII code. At that time, around 50 ads, which
mostly belonged to the fairness creams category, were taken off-air.
Apart from these, telemarketing ads were also significantly taken off-air. Chirag Shah, CEO, SVG Mobile,
notes that pharma companies are as smart marketers as liquor companies and hence, consequently the
adoption of surrogate advertising could be one of the ways to go. “The magic word 'health' could be used
more frequently now to the advantage of brands. Another good tool that brands can use is to change their
positioning from fairness cream to glow cream, ageless cream, wonder skin cream, freshness cream, etc.
Also, the employability of creatives conveying the message of love, attraction and power after using these
products (instead of transforming into fairer skin) will certainly be high,” Shah asserted.
In 2015, a Delhi consumer court imposed a Rs 15 lakh fine on skin and healthcare giant Emami and found its
face cream “Fair and Handsome” guilty of “misrepresentation to the public”. “It uses the word ‘gorapan‘ in

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advertisement No. 1, which means ‘fair complexion’. In advertisement No. 2 it gives out a promise that the
use of the product for a period of four weeks will ensure a fair complexion,” the court said.
For years, activists like Indian film star and director Nandita Das (who is termed “dusky”) have tried to start
social movements against the manufacturers of these types of products and advertisers that carry those
messages. She launched “Dark is Beautiful,” a campaign to celebrate “beauty beyond colour.” Other
celebrities and brands are also making a conversation on shifting the narrative from being downright
offensive to consciously discreet. Here’s hoping that there is light at the end of this dark tunnel...

ANALYSIS:

● Against the backdrop of the decision of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of the
Government Of India to amend the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act,
1954, this article brings out discussions with thought leaders on how the proposed amendment could
change the whole ad narrative of skin-lightening creams.

● Under the proposed amendment, brands endorsing pharmaceutical products for fairness of skin, hair
loss, improvement of height or obesity, among others, will be faced with a penalty of Rs 50 lakh and
will serve prison time up to five years.

● The industry leaders interviewed for this article believe that this is a step in the right direction,
however it is really the minds of the buyers that needs to change. The problem is deep-rooted in the
Indian buyers’ desperation for fairer skin colour. The industry leaders have also advocated for self
regulation to kick in, in order to curb irresponsible advertising. Various celebrities and activists have
either been pro-actively against the offensive narratives or are joining the movements against the
advertisements of such fairness creams.

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ARTICLE 2:

“India raises penalties for ads promoting fair skin”

Published By: WARC
Published On: February 10, 2020

India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has finalised an amendment which will ban advertisements
promoting fairness creams, health drinks claiming improvement to the height of children and products
promoting anti-ageing remedies – with potential jail time for offenders.

The Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) (Amendment) Bill, 2020 was released on 3
February, a move reportedly to keep up with the changing times and technology. The current Act says that
medicines, ‘magic remedies’ and products to cure any of 54 diseases, disorders and named conditions should
not be advertised. The amendment has increased the number of diseases, conditions and disorders to a total
of 78.

The new additions include ads for drugs or treatment for fairness of skin, premature ageing, AIDS,
improvement of memory, improvement of the height of kids/adults, improvement of the size of sexual
organs, duration of sexual performance, among others.

Under section seven of the Act, the first conviction is punishable with imprisonment of up to six months or a
fine or both; and a subsequent conviction can result in imprisonment of up to a year or a fine, or both. The
amendment proposes to increase the penalties. For the first conviction, the proposed punishment is
imprisonment of up to two years and fine up to Rs 10 lakh (US$14,000). For subsequent conviction, the
imprisonment may extend to five years with a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh (US$70,000).

The definition of what constitutes an ad has been expanded as well. Under the amendment, an ‘ad’ will
include any audio or visual publicity, electronic media, “internet or website and includes any notice, circular,
label, wrapper, invoice, banner, poster or such other documents: Provided that label or wrapper is an
advertisement only if it contains any information or claim other than provided in the rules”.

The country has a long-standing obsession with fair skin. According to a Markets and Research report, the
fairness cream category in India is anticipated to achieve market revenues of more than Rs. 5,000 crores
(US$50 billion) by 2023. With societal attitudes slowly changing, this move by the government introduces a
stiffer legal punishment for promoting the fairness ideal. It also marks another significant step since 2014,
when the Advertising Standards Council of India, a self-regulated advertiser group, issued a set of guidelines

12
to ensure that ads do not discriminate against darker-skinned people when it comes to dating, finding a
spouse, securing a job or getting a promotion.
ANALYSIS:

● This article outlines in more detail, the amendment proposed by the Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare of the Government of India to ban advertisements promoting fairness creams, health drinks
claiming improvement to the height of children and products promoting anti-ageing remedies, along
with the penalties and fines that could be imposed once the bill is passed.

● This gives us an insight into the strict legal action that can be pursued by the Government against
offenders, as societal attitudes are slowly evolving.

● These laws and regulations are necessary to be put in place, in order to change the perception of the
consumer towards these products and not give them false hopes and aspirations.

● Fairness cream ads display digitally retouched ‘after’ pictures, giving a false impression to the
commercial viewers. These regulations will help curb the malpractices by the advertisers, as also
impact the attitude of the consumer while buying the product.

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ARTICLE 3:

“Not fair, but still lovely – is India actually changing its ‘fairness’ narrative?”
Published By: YourStory.com
Published On: July 2, 2020

With the #BlackLivesMatter initiative gaining momentum across the world, brands advertising fair skin have
come into sharp focus. HerStory examines India’s deep-rooted obsession for fair skin and whether HUL’s
decision to remove ‘Fair’ from its Fair & Lovely cream’s name will change the narrative.

Late last month, multinational giant Hindustan Unilever Limited announced that it would rebrand its
best-selling skin-lightening cream, Fair & Lovely, and start by removing the words “fair/fairness”,
“white/whitening”, and “light/lightening” from its brand packaging. The move may have come many
decades too late, and after feeding into the innate stereotypes of millions of Indians - equating fair skin with
beauty and black with ugly. And also earning a whopping Rs 4,100 crore annually from the sales of Fair &
Lovely alone.

This action came after severe backlash of products propagating colourism and took off from the
#BlackLivesMatter movement in the US after the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in
Minnesota in May. The incident sparked world-wide protests and debates on stereotyping based on colour of
skin.

In the aftermath, Johnson & Johnson, which owns some of the world’s top consumer brands, immediately
announced that it would discontinue two lines of skincare products that referred to “fairness” on its labels.
L’Oréal followed suit last week, and said it would drop words such as white, fair, and light from all its
skincare products, a day after the Unilever announcement.

Kolkata-based FMCG firm Emami, which owns fairness cream brand Fair & Handsome, had also saidit was
evaluating the current situation. While fairness creams may be one part of the problem, the obsession with
fair skin in India is deep rooted. HerStory explores the mindsets and stereotypes, and also examines the
changing narrative as women are becoming increasingly conscious of body positivity.

Not-so-fair mindsets

As a culture obsessed with fair skin, women in India have always been classified by the different shades of
their skin – fair, dark, dusky, and the obnoxious “wheatish”. It starts with grandma’s home-made remedies

14
earmarked for fair skin, graduates to bullying on the basis of colour as the girl grows up, and then moves on
to the matrimonial ad, written by her family according to her skin tone.
26, Brahmin, IIT-IIM, Mumbai-based MNC, very fair…
When the woman becomes pregnant, she is given milk laced with saffron so that her child is fair, as creamy
looking as the milk she drank, paal-pol vella (white as milk), as they say in Tamil. If it’s a man, he has
options to choose his bride from different skin tones, the operative word, of course, being “fair & lovely”, as
the ad propagates. This obsession with fair skin, the stereotypes surrounding it has led to colourism not only
in India but also all over the world.

This prompted 20-four-year-old Shobia Ooruthirapathy, a Tamil-Canadian make-up artist based in

Toronto, Canada, to start a petition against Fair & Lovely by writing a letter to the CEO of HUL.
She told HerStory, “Growing up, I would always be told not to spend a lot of time outside, to use whitening
creams, and how I wouldn’t get opportunities due to my skin colour. Colourism is an issue in the Western
world too due to many of our parents being immigrants from South Asian countries. I remember looking at
the ads and products as a child and feeling the need to use them to feel beautiful. I tried two-three fairness
creams and the last one I used actually bleached my face. The pressure of fair skin caused me to be insecure
for a very long time until I learned to embrace myself for who I am.

“I am very pleased to know that Unilever decided to rebrand Fair & Lovely for the first time after 45 years
of production. It is the first step in the right direction and I believe in marketing and advertising, women of
all colours should be equal.

"I believe since the leading skin whitening brand is making this change, it will slowly spread the message
and hopefully change the mindset of many that believe being fair is the way to life. I believe colourism is an
issue that needs to be addressed more by the media so they (the public) understand the reason why
corporations are making such changes,” she added.

The fault in our stars

Irony died a slow death when many celebrities in India came out against colourism, while endorsing fairness
creams themselves. A-list stars like Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Disha Patani, and Sonam Kapoor
took to social media to express their outrage and support to the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Their efforts
may have been laudable but were in fact laughable as they endorsed fairness creams in their own country.
They did not realise that millions of Indians looked up to them, and wanted to use the creams they endorsed,
to be “fair” like them.

15
Clinical psychologist Radhika Bapat says the concept of fair skin is ingrained at a very young age. “This
occurs when one of these conditions is met (a) a person’svalue comes only from their sex appeal (b) They
are held to a standard that equates physical attractiveness with being sexy (c) They are sexually objectified
(d) Sexuality is inappropriately imposed on them. The single most powerful contribution to the formation of
this identity is via mass media, especially popular children's programmes - and toys. Children as young as
five years old are aware of an ‘inferior dark/coloured’ and ‘superior white status. The sexualization of size,
shape, colours are therefore absorbed and internalised by young children.

As we grow up, they only become more and more ingrained into your psyche. Advertisements promoted by
our role models contribute to this problem, leading to body dissatisfaction, depression, and lower
self-esteem.” Add to these, words like kaalu, kali, and karippi, denoting the term black, are bandied about in
moviesand TV shows. Makeover shows also carry this forward, making it a vicious cycle.

Shraddha Gurung, beauty vlogger and influencer with 107k followers on Instagram says, "I don't
understand the concept of judging someone based on skin colour because it is completely biological. I have
been a critic of a brand like Fair & Lovely. Even today, removal of the word 'Fair' was necessary but not
something to be celebrated. This should have been done a long time ago."

Kabbyashree Dasgupta, 23, an author and student of advertising and marketing communication, at Xavier’s
Institute of Communication, Mumbai, says Fair & Lovely has been a major culprit. “The concept of fairness
was introduced to me by Fair & Lovely. I remember I was seven or eight years old and those TV
advertisements mesmerised me. I was so fascinated by the colour and ended up feeling bad about myself.
My mother is very fair and my father has a brownish-wheatish complexion, and I took after my father.
“Whenever I used to get a tan in childhood, I would think, ‘Why am I so brown, why am I so dark?’ And I
used to curse my fate and used to fight with my mother saying “why didn’t you give me your skin colour?
Today, I have evolved – I love and adore my skin colour. It has been a journey of unlearning the things I had
learnt…how fairness is imposed on us and how, over the years, parents, mothers, and aunts had taught us
home remedies to lighten skin complexion,” Kabbyashree says.

Migmar Lhamo (23) remembers being called a ‘black woman” and ‘kaali maa’ in school and she would
retort that black was beautiful and that she “didn’t care two hoots about what others said”.

Shreya Kothari (27), Founder of Verthbox, a sustainable products subscription service, feels that society
has deemed it okay to call a person kaali without thinking of the ramifications, especially the feeling of not
fitting in or wanted. “I have known friends whose families have tortured them when it came to weddings
saying, Yeh treatment lelo, ye photos mat dalo, etc. (Take this fairness treatment, use light-coloured photos)”

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Kathleen Matthew, a 22-year-old medical student from Mumbai, says she has always been at the end of
name calling. “When I was, one of my uncles told my parents, ‘Ayyo, your daughter is dark, black’. In
school and college as well, there were people calling me ‘aye dark’ or ‘blacky’ because of my dark skin.
“After I shifted to Canada, because I was dark and an Indian, people used to racially discriminate and sort of
bully me. Even my ex-boyfriend used to be like, ‘you’re so dark, or it’s night,so now I can’t see you’.”
Jessica Joseph, a second year BSc student at St John’s Medical College, believes that though rebranding
may not solve the whole issue, it’s a good start.

ANALYSIS:

● This recent article explains the domino effect of the burgeoning #BlackLivesMatter movement across
the globe, on the advertising of fair skin.

● The article also analyses the decision of the multinational giant Hindustan Unilever’s decision to
drop the word ‘Fair’ from its ‘Fair and Lovely’ product line in response to the steam gathering
behind the movement.

● After Hindustan Unilever, it was almost inevitable that other companies would follow suit. • This
article is proof that global conversations can drive national change. With HUL dropping the word
‘fair’, several restrictions also came into play for advertisers.

● However, through interviewing several civilians, this article aims to analyse whether the narrative is
truly being altered.

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 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

This study will primarily explore an overview of India's skin-lightening or ‘fairness’ cream market. It aims at
providing not just an understanding of the history of this category but also exploring the current market
scenario and developments in this category.

With the recent ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement, this category is undergoing significant changes which may
reshape the category altogether.

The study digs deeper to gauge the level of understanding of the evolved consumer and draw out patterns of
purchase behaviour, consumer engagement with the product and consumer perception of the leading brands
in the category.

A primary motive of this research is to gauge the consumers’ perception and views on the commercial
advertisements by the brands in this category.

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 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The following are the main objectives of the study :

1. To understand the awareness of the consumers towards fairness products.

2. To understand the benefits/features that the consumers look for in the given product.
3. To analyse the factors that contribute to the consumer’s purchase behaviour and decision.
4. To evaluate brands that are at the top of mind recall for consumers in this segment.
5. To understand the perception of the consumer towards the commercial advertisements by the leading
brands in this category.
6. To understand if the consumers find the commercial advertisements ethical by the leading brands in this
category.
7. To analyse the perception of advertisers and marketing professionals towards the commercial
advertisements by the leading brands in this category.
8. To evaluate the views of advertisers and marketing professionals towards the recent developments in the
category, in terms of brand positioning and strategy.

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 HYPOTHESIS OF THE STUDY

Hypothesis is a testable prediction which is expected to occur. It can be a false or a true statement that is
tested in the research to check its authenticity. The hypothesis should be clear and precise. It should be
limited in scope and must be specific.

There are two types of hypothesis, they are:

• Null Hypothesis (Ho)
• Alternate Hypothesis (Ha)

Following are the hypothesis of the study:

1. Ho: Majority of the consumers are satisfied with their skin complexion.
Ha: Majority of the consumers are not satisfied with their skin complexion.

2. Ho: Viewers are influenced by Fairness Cream advertisements.

Ha: Viewers are not influenced by Fairness Cream advertisements.

3. Ho: Fairness Cream advertisements are ethical.

Ha: Fairness Cream advertisements are not ethical.

4. Ho: Majority of the consumers are aware about the different Fairness Cream brands.
Ha: Majority of the consumers are unaware about the different Fairness Cream brands.

5. Ho: Society makes dark-skinned individuals feel inferior.

Ha: Society does not make dark-skinned individuals feel inferior.

6. Ho: Advertisements by Fairness Creams influence the definition of beauty.

Ha: Advertisements by Fairness Creams do not influence the definition of beauty.

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 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope of the research extends to studying India’s Fairness Cream Marker. It includes understanding its
evolution, its current scenario in India and mainly, consumers’ level of awareness, knowledge, perception
and attitude towards the product, the leading brands in the category and the commercial advertising followed
by the same.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

● The paucity of time and resources was the major constraint.

● The research respondents are only from Mumbai, India. Thus, the research scope is restricted to India
only.
● The respondents are limited to 150 in number. Thus, the sample size is restricted.
● The possibility of respondents being biassed cannot be ruled out.
● The limited knowledge of the respondents regarding the topic may hamper the true conclusion of the
study.
● The survey was conducted only for a limited period of time. Due to time constraints, people who
were easily accessible could participate in the questionnaire and interviews as well.

21
 CHAPTER 3 : RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

RESEARCH METHODS:

Primary as well as Secondary research was employed in this project.

• Primary research is the first-hand research that the researcher collects, by interacting with the sample
population and the conclusions and analysis he/she draws from the data that has been obtained.
• Primary research in this project involved interacting with 150 individuals to understand and comprehend
if they use fundamental analysis in their daily investments.

• Secondary research is the background research done by the researcher on already existing information
regarding the topic.
• This helps the researcher in determining whether previous research papers have been written on that
particular topic and if and how new ground on that particular topic can be covered.
• It also helps the researcher in building a base for the questions to be asked to the sample population and to
construct an informative questionnaire and ask all the right questions.
• Secondary research in this project involved reading and examining various research papers, articles, case
study to understand Fundamental Analysis.

QUANTITATIVE DATA: SURVEYS

• This method captures information through the input of responses to a research instrument containing
questions (such as a Questionnaire).
• Information can be input either by the respondents themselves (E.g.: An Online Survey) or, the researcher
can input the data (E.g.: a phone survey, a one-on-one survey, a mall intercept, etc).
• The main methods for distributing surveys are via a website, postal mail, phone, or in person.
• However, newer technologies are creating additional delivery options including through wireless devices,
such as smart phones and technologies wherein the information gets recorded in real time and can be viewed
and intercepted very easily through pie charts and bar graphs.
• Survey for this study was undertaken via an online questionnaire. Questions included views of the people
from various backgrounds.

22
QUALITATIVE DATA COLLECTION

Qualitative data collection requires researchers to interpret the information gathered, most often without the
benefit of statistical support. If the researcher is well trained in interpreting respondents’ comments and
activities, this form of research can offer very good information. However, it may not hold the same level of
relevancy as quantitative research due to the lack of scientific controls with this data collection method.

RESEARCH DESIGN

• The research design comprised a method of primary data collection using a survey given to 150
respondents. The design also included secondary data expressed through a review of past literature in the
concerned area, indicating that a certain segment of the study was exploratory in nature.
• The design used descriptive tools such as pie charts and bar graphs to highlight the data analysis.

RESEARCH INSTRUMENT

The research tool used was that of a survey comprising 17 questions as well as personal interviews that
covered different areas of the research problem. The questions were multiple choice in nature and closed
ended and only one question was open ended. It was compulsory for all 150 respondents to answer all the
questions. The survey was anonymous but certain demographic details such as age and occupation were
asked for. The questionnaire made is enclosed in the annexure.

SAMPLE SIZE

Sample size is the number of respondents who have been surveyed or the number of people who have filled
up the questionnaire. The sample size of my research project is 150 respondents. SAMPLING UNIT A
decision has to be taken concerning a sampling unit before selecting samples. Sampling unit may be a
geographical one such as a state, district, village or a construction unit such as a house, flat, etc. In my
research project, the sampling unit consists of consumers across Mumbai, Maharashtra.

SAMPLING DESIGN

The study used the technique of Random Sampling for the survey. This refers to a basic sampling design
where a subset of the population is randomly selected to be a part of the sample. The sample of this study
was limited to 150 respondents.

23
STATISTICAL TECHNIQUE

The study employed the use of bar graphs and pie charts to interpret and express the data in the form of
percentages.

Graphs allow for descriptive secondary analysis of data.

The survey had a total of 150 respondents. The responses to each question were expressed as percentages
and then a pie chart was prepared for each question, accepting a few. For those exceptions a horizontal bar
graph was prepared.

Each graph was accompanied by a key that contained the response options for the specific question and the
colour corresponding to each response in the chart.

The graphs allowed for interpretation of the responses from the point of view of which response option had
been chosen by the majority of the respondents versus a minority.

24
 CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS
Secondary Data

“FAIRNESS CREAMS MARKET IN INDIA- AN OVERVIEW”

The fairness cream market in India is driven by not only growth in the women's sector but also growth in the
male grooming segment. Due to the rise in disposable income and enhanced awareness with the help of
larger penetration of media, fairness cream in India is experiencing stronger demand. Due to the increase in
organised retailing and trends towards tapping untapped potential of the men's segment, the Indian fairness
cream market is poised for further growth.

An analysis of the drivers in a recent study, explains the factors for growth of the market including increase
in disposable income, rise in organised retail, increase in awareness, increase in male grooming and low
penetration. Products like fairness cream do not fall under the purview of necessary goods and therefore it
becomes imperative for its survival that people have more income at their disposal.

The growing Indian economy and the growth in disposable income have led to strong demand for fairness
creams. Further, with enhanced awareness through increased media penetration, people are more aware
about the sector and its products. Additionally, with increased organised retail in India, more brands
including global brands are seen within the reach of the masses. Another potent source is the fact of
increased male spending on grooming products.

The growth of this segment has been exponential which is reflected by the trend of major players looking for
product extensions towards the male segment. Finally, a latent but effective driver could be the fact of low
penetration of these products in the market.

An underpenetrated market always creates scope for enormous growth. However, the sector is also facing
certain challenges. Factors such as presence of harmful steroids in fairness creams and availability of
substitute products pose as barriers for growth.The major trends identified in the market include value added
factors, array of international brands and adoption of newer packaging methods.

The Dark Roots of Our Fair Obsession

Advertising for fairness creams has transcended gender since the premise in both advertisements for men as
well women remain the same. The convergence of class hierarchy, colonial history and social prejudice are

25
central to the firmly entrenched notion of ‘superiority’ being synonymous with ‘fairness’ and mediated by
advertisements.
'Yashomati maiya se bole Nand lala, Radha kyun gori, main kyun kala' — a devotional song has a tiny Lord
Krishna beseeching his foster mother to find why his lady love is fair while he is dark. Much before India
was invaded by fair skinned people, the country has been fascinated by the lighter colour of skin. In Sanskrit,
the term 'Asuryasparsh' is used to define he who is untanned, untouched by the sun's heat and is therefore
pure and affluent.

"There's this notion about dark-skinned people belonging to the labour class because they'd work on the
fields under the sun. White skin, on the other hand, symbolised power," shares Devdutt Pattanaik, chief
belief officer at Future Group.

We have an inexplicable affinity to the white hue and a similar aversion to the dark. We worship the holy
(white) cow and not the darker buffalo. We hammer out a compromise representing our darker deities in a
rather fetching blue instead of settling for a genuine skin tone. Gautam Buddha is one such example, and so
is Jesus Christ or Mother Mary who couldn't have possibly been white with her sunburnt desert inhabitants,
Pattanaik points out

26
 MARKET INCEPTION – ‘FIRST WOMEN, THEN MEN’

American companies such as multinational Unilever got wind of India’s obsession with light skin early on.
Indian women were their first customers. Unilever developed Fair & Lovely in 1975 claiming as a brand it
stands for the belief that – “Beautiful, radiant skin enhances not only a girl’s outward appearance; it also
plays a critical role in boosting her self-confidence”, and then revved up the commercial production of the
misdirected fairness ideal.

As one of the pioneering establishments in the bleaching cream business Unilever was in a position to
dominate the market. As the dominant player they have kept vigilance over India’s long-established craving
to be light skinned. In the early days Fair & Lovely was sold almost exclusively to women. On their website
Unilever contends that “It is the no. 1 fairness cream in India and is popular throughout Asia.”

Historically fairness creams were purchased by women exclusively. Until the mid-2000s purchase by men
was not a marketing option. Eventually companies like Unilever realised that almost a third of those who
used fairness creams were men and hence an immediate market spur.

After years of product success, Emami, an Indian owned company began producing Fair & Handsome for
men in 2005. They describe it as a “cream for those who have darker skin and want to look more lighter
skinned.”

With endorsements from entertainers and celebrities, Fair & Handsome took off, claiming a 40% share of the
men’s fairness cream market. Shahrukh Khan, one of the most celebrated Bollywood celebrities, was hired
as the Brand Ambassador.

In the commercials, Khan is portrayed to be tossing a tube of the product to an endearing fan for him to look
‘fair and handsome. Local activist groups criticized Khan in the worst possible manner for exploiting his
celebrity status to promote discrimination.

27
 FAIRNESS CREAMS’ MARKET IN INDIA FOR WOMEN

Market Inception & Early Days

Royal Indian women, fascinated by white skin, used to apply pearl extracts on their skin for enhanced
fairness. The first fairness cream is said to date back to 1919. Created by entrepreneur E.S. Patanwala, it was
called ‘Afghan Snow’ and named after King Zahir of Afghanistan who said the white cream reminded him
of the snow in the country. According to the company’s website, the First Miss India concert in 1952 was
sponsored by Afghan Snow. The product was also endorsed by actress Persis Khambhatta.

Category Inception
In 1975, Fair & Lovely was launched by HUL, the Indian subsidiary of the multinational company Unilever,
which became an instant success. It introduced a fairness cream that was soft on skin unlike the bleaching
creams of the time, usurping the fairness bleach market. Soon, they attained a pioneer status in the business.
The product started off by marketing dreams and desires, switching to be the key that'll get you the man of
your dreams.

Category Growth
Post liberalisation, a flurry of brands decided to get their hands white. It started with Emami Naturally Fair
Herbal Fairness Cream in the early 90s, CavinKare's Fairever in 1998 and Godrej's FairGlow in 1999.
Emami focused on pearl extracts, FairGlow on the 'no compromise with fair skin' positioning whereas
Fairever, that went on to be the biggest challenger brand to Fair & Lovely centred its advertising around its
two unique ingredients - saffron and milk.
To oust them in the market and own a distinctive positioning, Fair & Lovely flipped from the dream man
track to woman empowerment and the cream being a confidence aid to land the perfect job.
Several brands that didn't bother themselves with fairness as a platform now have at least one and sometimes
multiple variants addressing this need — for instance Garnier and Lakme. The recent introduction of a
fairness cream for a rather intimate part of female anatomy proves that marketers are not even close to being
done exploiting this category

Market size
In 2019, the Indian fairness cream market was reportedly worth nearly Rs 3,000 crore, according to the India
Fairness Cream & Bleach Market Overview (2018-2023). Market revenues were expected to reach Rs 5,000
crore by 2023, the study estimated. This is unsurprising considering skin lightening products take up about
half of India’s skincare market, according to a 2019 study by the World Health Organization. Between
companies like HUL, P&G and L’Oréal, brands like Nivea, Olay, Pond’s, Neutrogena and Garnier dominate
the industry. This has been boosted by endorsements by a range of celebrities such as Shah Rukh Khan,
Deepika Padukone, Virat Kohli and Priyanka Chopra.
28
Advertising
Advertisements in the 1980s showed dark-skinned women unable to find husbands or jobs until applying
fairness creams to achieve the ‘desirable’ skin tone. At inception, Fair & Lovely started off by marketing
dreams and desires, switching to be the key that'll get you the man of your dreams. When other brands joined
the category in the 1990s, Fair & Lovely flipped from the dream man track to woman empowerment and the
cream being a confidence aid to land the perfect job. These storylines continued in advertisements well into
the 21st century.

This was despite the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) issuing guidelines in 2014 that
prohibited ads from depicting dark-skinned people as disadvantaged or associating any skin tone with any
specific kind of socio-economic class, ethnicity or community

Changing discourse
In 2009, Women of Worth (WOW), an NGO founded by Kavitha Emmanuel based in Chennai, began an
awareness campaign promoting “Dark is beautiful”. The campaign gained more prominence when actor
Nandita Das endorsed it with the slogan: “Stay Unfair, Stay Beautiful”. The campaign was aimed at
redefining beauty norms and changing the idea that dark is undesirable. From Madhur Bhandarkar's Traffic
Signal which features a street kid ranting against fairness creams to global columnists writing horrified
editorials about 'racist' Indian ads, the category has a huge array of critics.

Change in Conversation
Actors who previously endorsed fairness creams have come under the radar now for speaking up against
race inequality. Among them was actor Priyanka Chopra. Chopra was criticised on social media after she
made an Instagram post in tribute to George Floyd, the African- American man whose death in police
custody has led to the latest wave of Black Lives Matter protests.

A series of backlash tweets that were received by Priyanka Chopra for speaking up against the
#BlackLivesMatter Movement.

29
However, the most recent development is a shift in the category of brand positioning. Hindustan Unilever
announced its decision to drop ‘Fair’ from the name of its skin-whitening cream Fair & Lovely. The
decision, said to be aimed at “a more diverse portrayal of beauty”, came soon after Johnson & Johnson
announced it would no longer produce or sell its Neutrogena Fine Fairness and Clean & Clear Fairness lines.
The company said its intention was to never project white as a better skin tone. French cosmetics giant
L’Oréal has also announced it would drop words such as white/whitening, fair/fairness, light/lightening from
all its skincare products.

Key Growth Drivers

High literacy rate, demand from single working women, beauty pageants at national & international level,
pressure of society, marriage issues, desire to look beautiful and fair, etc. are some of the major factors
which have pushed the market of women's fairness cream in India. Rising influence of media and
entertainment, pressure of society to look well-groomed all the time, inferiority from colleagues at
workplace, desire to try new products launched in the country, escalating number of young population,etc are
some of the factors which drove the market of women's fairness cream market in last some years and still
driving.

Market Leaders
Major companies operating in the fairness cream & bleach market of India are Dabur India Limited, Emami
Limited, Hindustan Unilever Limited, ITC Limited, L'Oreal India Private Limited, Nature's Essence Private
Limited, Nivea India Private Limited, Procter & Gamble Home Products Private Limited, VLCC Health
Care Limited, Patanjali Ayurved Limited, CavinKare Private Limited, Avon Beauty Products India Private
Limited, VI-JOHN India Private Limited and Himalaya Drug CompanyPrivate Limited.

There are plenty of small fish in the fairness pond. Most of them are prevalent in markets like Uttar Pradesh
and Madhya Pradesh, says an Emami spokesperson. Some of these players are Neha & Love, Lufina, Melas,
Toni N Lovely, Zohra (in MP) and Roopa in Chhattisgarh.

Good for fairness, bad for skin

The WHO study, which was published last November, highlighted how mercury is commonly found in skin
lightening soaps, creams and other products and is hazardous to one’s epidermis and health. The report
warns people to look for hazardous ingredients in such products, including “Hg, mercuric iodide, mercury
oxide, mercurous chloride, ethyl mercury, phenyl mercuric salts, ammoniated mercury, amide chloride of
mercury, mercury iodide”. It also mentions that if a product gives directions to avoid contact with silver,
gold, rubber, aluminium and jewellery, “it may also indicate the presence of mercury”.

30
Since fairness creams involve bleaching skin to achieve a lighter skin tone, products could include harmful
ingredients like hydroquinone, mercury, lead, nickel and chromium. Extreme use of these creams can lead to
skin damage and thinning of the skin. Some fairness creams are composed of steroids that can cause skin
discoloration, acne, hypersensitivity to sun, pigmentation, skin allergies and even skin cancer.

Market Trends & Developments

"Benefit-clubbing" in fairness product offerings is driving innovation in launches: Delivery of the fairness
proposition tends to differ in male and female personal care products Growing demand for and availability of
premium solutions are drawing sales away from mass brands:

Consumers' perception of "fairness" is changing with the introduction of higher end offerings The nascent
men's skin whitening segment is undergoing a period of rapid growth However, despite the growth potential
demonstrated by the male skin whitening segment, the female consumer segment is still the key to value
growth in the overall category.

There is an increasing focus on "fairness brands" in the marketing communications of personal care brands.
Skin whitening brands have become increasingly focused on communicating tangible benefits through
advertisements.

BOLLYWOOD – KEY GROWTH ACCELERATOR

Bollywood damsels made a lot of bucks by selling women the notion that it's these fairness creams that made
them look the way they do, and not make-up artists, plastic surgeons and genes. From Padmini Kolhapure to
Juhi Chawla to present day divas, they've all been there, sold that.

In the mid-2000s, soap operas embraced advertiser funded programming and fairness brands were quick to
jump on board, slowing the already snail like pacing of these serials to a crawl, with sales pitches that stalled
the narrative for several minutes on end.

In 2008, Pond's came up with a 5-part 45 second series, narrating a story of love, heartbreak and triumph.
Saif Ali Khan breaks up with Priyanka Chopra who's clearly low on self-esteem. A distraught PC starts
using Pond's White Beauty and gradually her superior pigmentation brings back both her confidence and her
wayward beau who abandons his next love interest, Neha Dhupia.

31
Emami Limited was one of the first few domestic FMCG players to realise the potential of celebrity brand
ambassadors, especially in a price-sensitive market with a large rural base. The company roped in
Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan who was initially sceptical about a men's fairness product but later agreed
only after being apprised of the huge global market for men’s fairness products and the demand for such
products in India. The sales of Emami's Fair and Handsome brand went very high after the product was
endorsed by ace actor Shah Rukh Khan. Later, HUL came into the market with its brand Fair and lovely
which was launched in the year 2007. But Emami still remains the leader in the men's segment with its much
appreciated brand Fair and Handsome.

A larger number of influential actors, ranging from Shah Rukh Khan, to Deepika Padukone have not, and
have made money from endorsing skin-lightening products. Then there are some celebrities who have
spoken up against skin-lightening, but in fact have also been a part of skincare ads featuring skin-whitening
products.

For example, Aishwarya Rai spoke about how she doesn’t believe in endorsing skin-lightening products but
appeared in an ad for L’Oréal White Perfect.

Anushka Sharma said in 2015, “I would not endorse products that propagate racist and sexist (beliefs) and
propagate social taboo. I don't want to endorse products that propagate fair skin and all. I will not propagate
anything that says this is right or wrong,” but did an ad for Nivea Whitening Cell Repair prior to that.

Here are some examples of celebrity endorsements for Fairness Creams:

1. Aishwarya Rai for L’Oréal White Perfect

2. Shahrukh Khan for Emami Fair & Handsome

3. Deepika Padukone for Garnier Fair Miracle

32
 FAIRNESS CREAMS MARKET IN INDIA FOR MEN

Though the market for fairness cream has been increasing in India, both men and women are now shifting
their preferences towards a healthier cream. Whitening and fairness cream brands have been under the
scanner of gender rights activists in recent times and with increasing exposure to social media, the trend has
been seen in India as well.
For generations, companies have been selling fair skin to young Indian women, promising better marriage
and employment prospects. However, over the last few years, men have become a favoured target audience.
Over the years, men have begun to accept that basic skin care and even make-up is a daily routine to keep
the skin healthy and flawless.
Moreover, rivalry among the workforce too has upscale the drive to look young and has prompted expanded
interest for items particular to men. Seeing demand from men's side, players like Emami, Hindustan
Unilever, L’Oréal jumped into marketing of men's fairness creams.

Market Inception & Early Days

Till the mid-2000s, deodorants and shaving creams were the main prepping items publicised for men. But
India’s largest consumer goods companies sensed an opportunity and launched a slew of fairness products
for male consumers. Indian men are increasingly gravitating towards lighter skin as more and more fairness
commercials and branding populate the digital space.

The notion of acting, being and looking more ‘Western’ has influenced a lot of young boys and men. Emami
was the first company which launched men's fairness cream in the year 2004 and it has evolved as one of the
largest purchased brands by men in the country.

Additionally, the brand endorsements are intentionally done by the Bollywood and cricket stars as everyone
knows them, especially youths of the country who are rigorous followers.

33
Market size

According to a recently published report in March, "India Fairness Cream & Bleach Market Outlook, 2023",
the men's fairness cream market is anticipated to grow with a CAGR of 6-8% during the forecast period of
2018-2023.

An article by Money Control states that the men’s grooming market has grown from a mere Rs 3,200 crore
in 2016 to a whopping Rs 10,000 crore today, according to analysts. Factors such as increasing disposable
income, influence of Bollywood stars and cricketers on the young generation, western life culture have
robustly increased the men's fairness cream market in the past few years.
Key Growth Drivers

Traditionally, Indians correlate good looks with fair skin in women, but now even men are judged by the
same benchmark. Westernization is one of the major factors which have elevated the demand of fairness
cream in the country. The changing grooming behaviour of Indian men is largely due to exposure and access
to international influences and trends.

The younger demographic requires and demands to be well presented and attired. Also, competition among
the workforce has scaled up the drive to look youthful and has led to increased demand for products specific
to men. In fact, urban Indian men believe that fair skin can improve their professional prospects, a 2015
report by researchagency Nielsen showed.

Every Bollywood celebrity and many public personalities tend to look fairer after a couple of years and thus
young audiences are naturally drawn towards the same. Hence, increased competition from workplace,
growth of social media, urge to appear well groomed and increased visibility of metro sexual men in pop
culture will still garner the demand for men's fairness cream in the country. The growth may slow down in
future but Indian people are unlikely to give up on these products - completely.

Market Leaders

Major companies operating in the fairness cream & bleach market of India are Dabur India Limited, Emami
Limited, Hindustan Unilever Limited, ITC Limited, L’Oréal India Private Limited, Nature's Essence Private
Limited, Nivea India Private Limited, Procter & Gamble Home Products Private Limited, VLCC Health
Care Limited, Patanjali Ayurved Limited, CavinKare Private Limited, Avon Beauty Products India Private
Limited, VI-JOHN India Private Limited and Himalaya Drug Company Private Limited.

34
Market Trends & Developments:

• Move Towards Personal Grooming

• Demand for Organic Cosmetics on the rise
• Shift from Unisex Products to Gender Specific Products
• Younger Generation more inclined towards Branded Products
• Players modernising their products with Herbal conceptions.

35
 CASE STUDY
GLOW & LOVELY

INTRODUCTION:

• Fair & Lovely (now Glow & Lovely) is an Indian skin-lightening cosmetic product of Hindustan Unilever
introduced to the market in India in 1975.
• The target consumer profile for Glow & Lovely is the 18 and above age group, and the bulk of the users are
in the age 21–35 category,[2] though there is evidence that girls as young as 12–14 also use the cream.
• As of 2012 the brand occupied 80% of the lightening cream market in India and is one of Hindustan
Unilever's most successful cosmetics lines.
• On its website (www.hul.co.in) the company called its product, ‘the miracle worker’, which is ‘proven to
deliver one to three shades of change’
• Culturally, fair skin is associated with positive values that relate to class and beauty.

CULTURAL NORMS & ADVERTISING STRATEGIES

Glow & Lovely have been under the radar for their unethical nature of advertisements. Their television
commercials are often seen portraying women in a demeaning light or promoting discrimination or racism.

Glow & Lovely advertisements promote that using their product makes the skin fairer and women who use
their product get a fair complexion and achieve success in life.

According to the ads, women who are not fair are a burden to their family. These ads directly increase racism
and create a perception that fair women secure good jobs, husbands and higher value in society.

On the other hand, many other cosmetic companies also promote their products in the same manner. Eg)
Garnier, Ponds, special care spot out cream in Bangladesh.

Overall, most of the fairness companies, who do similar advertisements, leave behind another meaning that
is racist, sexist and harmful for not only the individuals, but the whole society altogether.

AIDWA’s CAMPAIGN AGAINST FAIR & LOVELY AIDWA

(All India Democratic Women’s Association) lodged a complaint in March and April 2002 with HUL about
its offensive ads but Hindustan Unilever failed to respond. The women’s association then appealed to the
36
National Human Rights Commission alleging that the ad demeaned women. AIDWA objected to three
things:

1. The ads were racist

2. They were promoting son preference
3. They were insulting to working women.

The way they portrayed the young women who, after using Fair & Lovely, became attractive and therefore
landed a job suggested that the main qualification for a woman to get a job is the way she looks.

The Human Rights Commission passed AIDWA’s complaints on to the Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting, which said the campaign violated the Cable and Television Networks Act of 1995 – provisions
in the Act state that no advertisement shall be permitted that ‘derides any race, caste, colour, creed and
nationality’ and that ‘Women must not be portrayed in a manner that emphasises passive, submissive
qualities and encourages them to play a subordinate secondary role in the family and society.’

The government issued notices of the complaints to HUL. After a year-long campaign led by the AIDWA,
Hindustan Unilever Limited discontinued two of its television advertisements for Fair & Lovely fairness
cold cream in March 2003.

FAIR & LOVELY FOUNDATION

Shortly after pulling its ads off the air, and, coincidentally, on International Women’s Day, HUL launched its
‘Fair & Lovely Foundation’, vowing to ‘encourage economic empowerment of women across India’ by
providing resources in education and business. Millions of women ‘who, though immensely talented and
capable, need a guiding hand to help them take the leap forward’. Presumably into a fairer future.

HUL sponsored career fairs in over 20 cities across the country, offering counselling in as many as 110
careers. It supported 100 rural scholarships for women students passing their 10th grade, a professional
course for aspiring beauticians, and a three-month Home Healthcare Nursing Assistant’s course catering to
young women between the ages 18 and 30.

According to HUL, the Fair & Lovely Academy for Home Care Nursing Assistants offers a unique training
opportunity for young women who possess no entry-level skills and, therefore, are not employable in the
new economy job market. The Fair & Lovely Foundation plans to serve as a catalyst for the economic
empowerment of women across India.

37
HINDUSTAN UNILEVER DROPS THE WORD ‘FAIR’

In a bold move, FMCG major Hindustan Unilever on Thursday said it will remove the word 'Fair' from its
popular skin care brand 'Fair & Lovely', as part of a rebranding exercise in the wake of growing voices
against racial stereotypes.

The company said its other skincare portfolio will also adopt a new holistic vision towards beauty that cares
for everyone and celebrates all skin colours. "Taking forward the brand's journey towards a more inclusive
vision of beauty, the company will stop using the word 'Fair' in the brand name 'Fair & Lovely'. The new
name is awaiting regulatory approvals and we expect to change the name in the next few months," Hindustan
Unilever Ltd (HUL) said in a statement.

The brand's vision is to adopt a holistic approach to beauty that cares for people, that must be inclusive and
diverse—for everyone, everywhere. The brand is committed to celebrating all skin tones.

38
 PRIMARY DATA
DATA ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE

Part A: Respondent’s Profile

QUESTION 1 :
What is your Gender?

ANALYSIS :
Majority of the respondents are female, 87 out of 150 respondents. The above graph depicts the same. Of the
150 respondents that filled the questionnaire, 58% were females and 42% were males. There isn’t a vast
difference in the gender of the respondents.

QUESTION 2 :
What is your Age?

ANALYSIS :
The pie chart depicts the various sets of age groups in the sample size. The sample includes predominantly
the age group of below 40 years.
Out of the 150 respondents, the predominant group is between 16-25 years (41%), followed by the 25-40
years age group (33%) and following closely is the 40 & Above age group (26%). The diversification in age

39
groups highlights the different perceptions of fairness cream consumers across various age groups ensuring
that it covers as many differentiations in opinions.
QUESTION 3 :
What is your occupation?

ANALYSIS :
The pie chart portrays the different occupation segments the respondents belong to. Majority are working
professionals or students.
Most of the respondents were working professionals (56%), followed by students (27%), signifying that
these two are the main focus groups which engage in purchasing the fairness creams.
Entrepreneurs and homemakers formed a negligible percentage of the buyers.
The questionnaire is highly influenced by the younger and middle-aged population who are either students or
working professionals.

QUESTION 4 :
What is your Education Level?

ANALYSIS :
The above graph shows the education level of the respondents, with a majority of graduates and
postgraduates.
Out of 150 respondents, 63 respondents were post-graduate students, followed closely by graduates which
were 58 respondents.

40
Undergraduates and professional/diploma holders were a negligible group of respondent

Part B: Respondent’s Understanding & Awareness of theProduct & Leading Brands in the Category

QUESTION 5 :
Are you aware of Fairness Creams?

ANALYSIS :
Almost 95% of the respondents are aware about fairness/skin lightening products in India. A very negligible
5 respondents out of 150 were not aware of fairness cream products.
This signifies that the Indian population in a metropolitan city like Mumbai, are very aware of the fairness
cream products. This also has to do with the influence of advertisement commercials and celebrity
endorsements that are seen by individuals from a very young age.

QUESTION 6 :
Have you ever used a Fairness Cream?

ANALYSIS :
55% of the respondents have used/are currently using fairness/skin lightening creams.
However, 45% of them have not used such a product.
The percent of users and non-users is almost split into half.
41
This shows the divide between the number of people that use Fairness Creams and the number of
respondents that don’t.

QUESTION 7 :
How aware are you about the following Brands?

ANALYSIS :
When asked about the brands that they are familiar with from this segment, Fair & Lovely/ Fair &
Handsome has the highest Top of Mind Recall, followed by Ponds, Olay, Garnier and Lakme.
Thus, Fair and Lovely ranks first due to its name and deeply rooted brand name. The term “Fair” on the
label, helps people associate the brand easily to a fairness cream.

42
QUESTION 8 :
What product feature is important when deciding between different brands of Fairness Creams?

ANALYSIS :
From the 10 product features mentioned above, respondents rated ‘Protection against UV Rays’,
‘Moisturises the Skin’, ‘Removes dullness and dark spots’ & ‘Works throughout the day’ as the most valued
features that they look for in the product, which helps them make a purchase decision between brands.
‘Skin Lightening’ and ‘Anti-Bacterial’ were considered as moderately high factors but not the driving
factors while purchasing the Fairness Creams.

43
QUESTION 9 :
Where do you usually buy your products from?

ANALYSIS :
From the 3 usual purchase outlets, respondents chose different combinations of either one or two of the
platforms where they buy these products from. Supermarkets still stand out as the most common platform.
It was closely followed by Grocery Stores. This signifies that Fairness Cream products are more easily
accessible and induce more buying behaviour in Supermarkets as compared to grocery stores and from
online e-commerce sites.

QUESTION 10 :
Who have you heard about Fairness Creams from?

ANALYSIS :
The respondents have heard about the product primarily from advertisements (almost 90%) and others
include online, family and friends. Fairness Cream advertisements have been seen as television commercials
since the 90s.

44
The advertisements have had a great influence on individuals for years. It has amplified the deeply-rooted
obsession with ‘fair skin’ by showcasing women gaining more confidence after using a fairness cream, by
showing a woman getting a suitable groom because she’s fair and has a new skin tone.

QUESTION 11 :
On a scale of 1-5, rank the below factors that may influence your decision to buy a Fairness Cream.

Respondents were asked to rank factors that may influence the decision to purchase a fairness cream on a
scale of 1 to 5, 1 being least important and 5 being most important.

ANALYSIS :
From the 10 factors that would influence the respondent’s purchase decision for a fairness/skin lightening
cream, the ones that ranked the highest are ‘suitability to skin’ and ‘loyalty based on past product
experience.’
45
Factors such as ‘Brand Image’ and “Recommended by friends and family’ were considerably highly ranked
but not as much. This signifies that consumers are more concerned with what would suit their skin and their
past experience with the product in order to avoid any mishaps while using the product.
Thus we can also conclude that consumers are extremely cautious before purchasing a fairness product.

QUESTION 12 :
Are you satisfied with your skin complexion?

ANALYSIS :
When asked about their individual relation with their skin colour, 97 respondents stated that they are
satisfied with their skin complexion.
While 17 respondents stated that they weren’t completely satisfied with their skin complexion, 38
respondents weren’t sure if they were satisfied.
This tells us that 55 respondents out of 150 aren’t comfortable and confident about their skin colour and
tone.
This mindset is exactly what is targeted by advertisers and marketers of Fairness Cream companies.

46
QUESTION 13 :
What inspires you to use Fairness Creams?

ANALYSIS :
When respondents were asked what inspired them to use the product, 2 reasons ranked strongly, namely, ‘to
get glowing, healthy skin’ and ‘added benefits like anti-ageing and anti-blemish’.
A shift in paradigm in the mindset of the modern aged consumer is noticed.
Most people aren’t using fairness products to get a fairer complexion but rather a healthier looking skin.
Consumers are always looking for added benefits when it comes to Fairness Creams.

Part C: Respondent’s Views & Perceptions on the CommercialAdvertisements by Leading Brands in

the Category

QUESTION 14 :
Do you think our society makes those who are dark skinned feel inferior/less privileged/disgraced?

47
ANALYSIS :
95 respondents agree that our society makes those who are dark skinned feel inferior/less
privileged/disgraced while the rest of the respondents disagree or are unsure.
About 62% of the respondents feel that the society’s behaviour is conditional to the colour of your skin.
This topic and stigma have driven several global conversations and we are noticing major changes
worldwide and in the mindset of the people.

QUESTION 15 :
Have you seen advertisements by the below mentioned Fairness Cream Brands?

48
ANALYSIS :
When respondents were asked about advertisements by the leading brands in this category, Fair & Lovely/
Fair & Handsome had the highest Top of Mind Recall, followed by Ponds, Olay and Garnier.

QUESTION 16 :
How do you feel about advertisements by Fairness Creams?

ANALYSIS :
There is a mixed view of the respondents towards the advertisements by leading brands in this category.
While 52% believe that the advertisements are unethical, 36% of the respondents feel that the advertisements
are required since there is a demand for the product.
Therefore, the majority of the respondents believe that the advertisements showcased by fairness creams are
unethical but the advertisers are sometimes driven in that direction due to the market demand and the target
consumers.

49
QUESTION 17 :
What do you feel about the below statements related to fairness creams and their perception?

Statement 17.1: Ads by fairness creams give a lot of prominence to fair skin tones

ANALYSIS :
80% respondents either strongly believe or agree that the ads by fairness creams give a lot of prominence to
fair skin tones.
A very negligible number of respondents disagree with the statement.
For years, fairness cream ads have highlighted the fact that having a fair skin is better than having a dark
skin tone.

Statement 17.2: Ads by fairness creams deliberately elevate the obsession of fair skin in Indian society

50
ANALYSIS :
79% respondents either strongly believe or agree that the ads by fairness creams deliberately elevate the
obsession of fair skin in Indian society.
These advertisements are shown repeatedly for the sake of Brand recall.
The advertisers need to realise that repetition of the ad could also embed the concept in the minds of the
people and thus influence the daily lives of individuals.

Statement 17.3:Ads by fairness creams influence the definition of beauty

ANALYSIS :
77% respondents either strongly believe or agree that the ads by fairness creams influence the definition of
beauty.
Fairness cream advertisements can seriously deter the confidence of dark-skinned individuals.
The ads particularly always focus on dark-skinned individuals being under-confident or unhappy.
These advertisements taint the concept of beauty in the minds of the viewers.

51
Statement 17.4: Strong persuasive ads by fairness creams play a pivotal role in influencing possession of
the product

ANALYSIS :
78% respondents either strongly believe or agree that strong persuasive ads by fairness creams play a pivotal
role in influencing possession of the product.
Advertisements in general are strong factors in inducing buying behaviour for potential consumers.
The way the advertisements make an individual feel will directly affect if he/she desires to possess the
product or not.

Statement 17.5: Obsession for fair skin exists because of people's personal experiences

52
ANALYSIS :
72% respondents either strongly believe or agree that the obsession for fair skin tone exists due to people’s
personal experiences.
In Indian society, a lot of individuals have been denied opportunities due to their skin colour and tone.
Dark-skinned individuals are even made to feel inferior or looked down upon by society.
This statement reflects the mentality of the society we live in.

53
 INTERVIEWS

Interview 1 :
Twisha Sheth
HR Executive
Hindustan Unilever Pvt. Ltd.

Q 1) Do you know any Indian fairness cream brands? If yes, please name a few.

A: Yes, I do. Fair and Lovely, Fair and Handsome, Ponds and Olay, to name a few.

Q 2) Have you come across advertising by Indian brands in the fairness cream segment? If yes, on
which mediums?

A: Yes, TV and Print.

Q 3) What are your views on the product? Do you feel there is a need for fairness creams?

A: Yes, there is a need for these products. Fairness creams not only make you look fairer, but they also give
you confidence to do what you otherwise would shy away from or would have not done with as much
confidence.

Q 4) What are your views on the advertisements by the leading brands in this category? What do you
feel about the sentiments or perception these brands promote to its consumers?

A: a) All the brands that advertise fairness creams are doing in a manner that is most relatable to the
consumer. The only reason they are being sold is because they are bought and that too in large volumes.
Hence, something is working for them in the way they are communicating it.

b) These brands have not created or communicated something that is not already present as a bias, in the
mind of the consumer. Maybe, harping on it for years may not have been the best way to go. But as any
product trying to solve a consumer need, this one also was communicated in a language that was best suited
for the consumer

54
Q 5) Do you think the advertisements by these brands have an ethical issue?

A: No, I do not think it’s an ethical issue at all.

Q 6) What are your views on the stance that several brands are taking over the past month, in light of
the raging controversy over race and the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement?

A: I think that brands taking a stance on BLM is a great thing as – a) Helps the brand stand out as one with a
cause b) Ensures that the brand is liked more c) Ensures that the message is communicated to a larger
audience

Q 7) Do you think the repositioning by these brands is the right course of action and is convincing
enough for consumers?

A: a) Not really sure if that is the best route to go. Especially for Indian brands that change their
communication based on an incident that happened in another country, while the same discrimination has
been going on in ours for as long as we can remember.

b) But I guess it may end up seeing a shift in consumers from brands that don’t change their stance to brands
that do.

Q 8) In your opinion, will the whole ad narrative for skin-lightening creams change and how?

A: Yes, it will. Seeing that all the largest brands have stopped using the words ‘fairness, fair, fairer, etc’ and
moved towards other superficial benefits, all smaller players will also be forced to do the same or fear losing
consumers to other products/ brands.

ANALYSIS :

Ms Twisha has been in the profession for the past 3 years. To summarise my interview with her, she was of
the opinion that the narrative advertised by the fairness cream brands over the years is something that was
synonymous with the already existing bias in the minds of the people.

As times are evolving, brands are repositioning themselves and instead advocating the other beneficial
factors of fairness creams which is in relevance to empowerment and boosting self-confidence.

55
Interview 2 :
Jash Dalal
Account Executive,
Ogilvy & Mather Pvt. Ltd.

Q 1) Do you know any Indian fairness cream brands? If yes, please name a few.

A: Yeah, but my opinion will obviously be biassed because I worked in the category. So, I actually used to
work on Fair and lovely so of course I'm aware of fair and lovely all of its variants. There is Garnier,
L’Oréal, Neutrogena, Emami. There are a whole lot of other products which also offer whitening as a
benefit. So, you have a whole host of Ponds White Beauty and other product categories like face wash, body
lotions, BB creams, under eye creams, deodorants for underarm whitening.

Q 2) Have you come across advertising by Indian brands in the fairness cream segment? If yes, on
which mediums?

A: Yes, on television, my computer screen since there's a lot of YouTube advertising.

Q 3) What are your views on the product? Do you feel there is a need for fairness creams?

A: a) So, the need for fairness creams actually goes way back to before 1975 because Fair and Lovely was
launched in 1975, but prior to that they were actually a huge market for skin bleach. So, skin bleach products
like Fem. So, you had many skin bleach products in the market, and this was also because India's obsession
with fairness goes back to almost middle history.

b) It's really complicated this relationship with fairness and we're also a country that's been invaded so many
times by white Europeans that this idea of white supremacy is really ingrained in culture.

c) Also, for a lot of women today, fairness creams are actually what unlocks the doors of opportunity for
them because we know we are a racist country because there is a lot of judgement to face on the basis of
your skin colour. People are denied jobs on the basis of their skin colour. It's a barrier to finding a good
match in marriage. We know that fair skin is a criterion when people select brides when it comes to arranged
marriage also. So, if you are dark, there is almost like a penalty you have to pay because brides have to pay a
higher dowry if they are dark.

d) So, it's not just jobs and it's not just marriage. There's also a lot of social ostracization because you're dark
and the emotional impact of all of the bullying is more than name calling, and your own family members tell
56
you things like ‘don't go out, you will get too dark’. It takes a toll and for some women, they don't have a
choice but to try and fit in and that's where fairness comes in.

e) Fairness Creams play a role because a lot of the women also come from low-income households for
whom earning a livelihood, earning a job, marriage is really important. And if the colour of their skin is a
barrier for them to achieve these basic things then fairness creams kind of play the role of an ally, it's a
confidence boost. It gives them, you know that little bit of hope that even if society thinks I'm too dark to
achieve all of this, this will kind of help me improve my odds of succeeding

Q 4) What are your views on the advertisements by the leading brands in this category? What do you
feel about the sentiments or perception these brands promote to its consumers?

A: a) So, I think up until the early 2000s. All through the 70s, 80s, even the 90s the communication really
showed how dark skin was inferior to fair skin in that sense promoting a colour bias when it's compared to
the skin off of her.

b) Light-skinned woman to a dark-skinned woman and said, oh she had to change to be successful and she
had to change to find a groom. It kind of reinforced the bias, but I think if you look at brand communication
from the mid-2000s or even 2010 onwards, actually a little before that you see that it's become more
functional in nature from the pressure that the brands have faced.

c) ASCII has some guidelines on not showing dark skin as inferior. These guidelines came out in 2014. They
actually banned ads that show dark skin as inferior, but prior to that also brand communications had become
more functional, so they started infusing this language of expertise into fairness. So, from talking about
missed opportunities, it became about technical things like treatment. Fair and Lovely was the first brand to
introduce this concept of treatment like fairness because they were comparing it to the skin lightening
treatments you get at salons and dermatologists.

d) And then of course now with even more pressure being put on them on the way, they've reinvented
themselves and introduced new language into the category with this whole HD glow idea. It is just
reinventing the way fairness is communicated.

Q 5) Do you think the advertisements by these brands have an ethical issue?

A: a) Not the way it used to be. I think what they're doing now is ethical because they're not promising you
or they're not putting down people because of the colour of their skin and they're not making comparisons
between light skin and dark scale. They used to do that before but they don't do it now.
57
b) I think what they're doing now is not ethical. There is a larger debate at play about whether the cream
should even exist. But I think it's too complex and an issue for there to be a yes or no answer because if it
was that simple, you know, these decisions would have been taken.

c) I don't think what they're doing now is unethical, I think that their scope for improvement is a scope for
more inclusivity in their advertising. Is there a better message they can put out? For sure. But I don't think
it's unethical though

Q 6) In your opinion, will the whole ad narrative for skin-lightening creams change and how?

A: Right now, it's all functional. So, I expect that will continue. I don't know if there will be a new narrative
as such. The ban in 2014 has banned any kind of communication that says that shows dark skin and inferior
lives, hence that communication has not been happening for a long time. I think they also were going to
come up with a new ban this year. The Proposal was tabled in February and then we went into lockdown. So,
no action was taken on that.

ANALYSIS :

My interview with Mr. Dalal was very insightful. His language and free flowing speech speak greatly about
the experience he exudes.

He feels that since 2010, there has been a change in the advertisement narrative of Fairness Creams. With the
advertising laws and rules, the advertisements are now regulated in order to not portray a discriminatory
idea.

He also expressed how dropping the word ‘fair’ from Fair & Lovely was a bold move but still only signals
tokenism.

He hopes that in the future Fairness Cream ads are communicated in a different and more efficient manner,
harping on the qualities of boosting morale and self-belief rather than portraying inferiority

58
 RECOMMENDATIONS

● I think the primary issue with the entire segment is with the term ‘fairness’. Fairness, in today’s
world, due to media and communications has been implied, directly or indirectly to be the superior
and aspirational skin colour.

● In India, skin colour is a deep-rooted societal issue that dates back to decades ago. Association of
‘white’ or ‘fair skin’ is made with superiority and supremacy, due to our country’s history and
struggles. This is a huge challenge for brands to take on, considering the initial half of the
communication was already formed by exploiting the colour bias, and propagating the superiority of
fair skin.

● The need for the product is primarily there in the lower tier cities and rural areas, which forms a large
part of our population. While the educated, higher tier cities’ population, understand the
wrongfulness of the society, this needs to be communicated at a much larger and louder scale.

● I believe brands can follow 2 routes, either one or both:

A. Functional Benefit:

Brands need to change the dialogue of the product use and benefit. The product needs to
focus on the added benefits that brands have been dialling in. By reducing the focus on skin
lightening and changing the conversation to a product that looks after your skin, no matter the
type or colour, brands can help change the mindset. Several benefits offered by brands are
now influencing the consumer purchase decision. Consumers are looking for the value-added
benefits that help them maintain their skin. To reinforce this, the way brands have used
celebrities in this segment to promote the wrong perceptions, they can now use the same route
to push the right context in front of the consumers and let them feel a reduced need and a
different perception.

B. Brand Communications:
Brands need to take a strong stance in this segment, by discussing what the product does.
Instead of making it a conversation about the societal challenges the product will help you 76
overcome, the conversation needs to change what is wrong with the current social structure
and belief system. Make the conversation about the product being there for you to maintain

59
 your skin and help you be who you are. Again, the way to leverage the consumer mindset are
celebrities endorsing this thought process and demotivating the colour biases in our society.

● The government has already passed legislation for this segment in the past, banning advertisements
that show an inferior/superior skin comparison and relationship. However, the government could
further investigate ways to correct the brand communication and change the conversation too.

60
 CONCLUSION

● Commercial advertisements are information as much as social, economic or political information.

● What is more, advertisements shape attitudes and ways of life at least as much as other kinds of
information and comments. Journalistic propriety demands that advertisements must be clearly
distinguishable from news content carried in the newspapers.

● Overall, the shift in paradigm of brand communications with recent global movements on colour
biases, is going to make brands relook their communications, and maybe seek other approaches and
methodologies to promote their brands.

● By creating the shift away from ‘fairness’ brands need to be highly careful about their core
consumers. The consumers in the lower LSMs may not seek or believe the purpose for this change.
This may lead to alienation of the existing consumer base.

● Brands need to educate the consumers carefully and tactfully. In an effort to do so, they need to
leverage all possible avenues of trusted leaders. By trusted leaders, I mean, the consumers will
believe and change their mindset only if a true endorser or celebrity who they trust/ follow/ respect,
communicates and guides them through this process.

● The current issue of ‘colourism’ in Indian media has to be seen through a wider lens. There can be no
justification of products and services which glorify skin tone of a certain type, attributing ‘success’ to
such skin tone. However, such products are only a manifestation of the ‘fallacy of physical beauty’
mindset that already exists in society.

● Rejecting fairness through rejecting fairness creams is only a superficial solution to the much deeper
malaise that runs within the Indian psyche. The narrative of beauty has to change, and not just in the
minds of some emancipated souls. This would require far more than changing the names of fairness
creams, or even rejecting them. For, with people covering up their faces with masks post-Covid, the
new ‘opportunity’ areas for corporations may shift to body-toning rather than skin toning creams,
signalling the death of fairness creams. Clearly, the emphasis has to shift from a colourism-centric
‘fairness’ to ‘fairness’

61
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

ARTICLES :

● Mansuri, M. (February 17, 2020). Dark days ahead for fairness cream ads in India? From
exchange4media.com,
https://www.exchange4media.com/amp/advertising-news/dark-daysahead-for-fairness-cream-ads-in-i
ndia-102749.html

● Economic Times, The News Minute. (February 10, 2020). India raises penalties for ads promoting
fair skin. From warc.com,
https://www.warc.com/newsandopinion/news/indiaraises-penalties-for-ads-promoting-fair-skin/4321
5

● Gerdeman, D. (January 25, 2017). How should advertisers respond to consumer demand for whiter
skin? From Harvard Business School Working Knowledge,
https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/how-should-advertisers-respond-to-consumer-demand-for-whiterskin

● Balakrishnan, R. (July 2, 2020). Not fair, but still lovely- is India actually changing its ‘fairness’
narrative? From yourstory.com,
https://www.google.co.in/amp/s/yourstory.com/herstory/2020/07/fair-lovely-hul-colourismbody-posit
ivity/amp

CASE STUDY :

● Imtiaz, A. (February 9, 2017). Case Study: Fair & Lovely. From Prezi,
https://prezi.com/dilq92-fpz51/case-study-fair-lovely/

● PTI. (June 25, 2020). HUL to drop the word ‘fair’ from skin care cream ‘Fair & Lovely’. From The
Week,
https://www.theweek.in/news/biz-tech/2020/06/25/hul-to-drop-the-wordfair-from-skincare-cream-fai
r-and-lovely.html

62
WEBSITE LINKS :

● Hall, R. (March 29, 2018). Tall, fair and debonair: The ideal Indian man, according to beauty
products and Bollywood. From Quartz India,
https://www.google.co.in/amp/s/qz.com/india/1240384/indian-men-buy-skin-whiteningcreams-to-ach
ieve-bollywoods-beauty-ideal/amp/

● Krishnankutty, P. (June 26, 2020). Before Fair & Lovely, there was Afghan Snow- all about fairness
creams market in India. From the print.in,
https://www.theprint.in/theprintessential/before-fair-lovely-there-was-afghan-snow-%25E2%2581%2
5A0-all-about-thefairness-creams-market-in-india/449045/%3famp

● Tarafdar,S. (May 26, 2015). India’s ‘Dark is Beautiful’ campaign builds force. From
womensnews.org, https://womensenews.org/2015/05/indias-dark-is-beautiful-campaign-builds-force/

● Bhatt, S. (February 26, 2014). Journey of fairness creams’ advertising in India. From The Economic
Times,
https://m.economictimes.com/journey-of-fairness-creams-advertising-inindia/articleshow/30997189.c
ms

● Mukherjee, S. (July 12, 2020). Obsessed with fair skin? Actors say skin bias still exists in the film
industry and it will take time to change the mindset. From Hindustan Times,
https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/obsessed-with-fair-skin-actors-say-skin-biasstill-exists-i
n-the-film-industry-and-it-ll-take-time-to-change-the-mindset/storyJv9CCeglOYsgYlR77kK40I_amp
.html

● Bhattacharya, S. (July 4, 2020). Celebrities who spoke out against skin lightening & refused to
advertise fairness creams. From idiva.com,
https://www.idiva.com/amp/beauty/celebrities/bollywood-celebrities-who-refused-toendorse-fairness
-creams/18010965

● Jayakumar, T. (July 13, 2020). The narrative of beauty has to change. From The New Indian Express,
https://www.newindianexpress.com/opinions/2020/jul/13/the-narrative-of-beautyhas-to-change-2168
909.amp

● Exchange4media Staff. (August 8, 2019). Women get competition in fairness department from men.
From excgange4media.com,
63
 https://www.exchange4media.com/marketingnews/women-get-competition-in-fairness-department-fr
om-menthanks-to-emami-18074.html

● Venkatesh, S. (May 20, 2019). Handsome Spends. From Outlook Business,

https://www.outlookbusiness.com/strategy/feature/handsome-spends-5064
● Tanwar, S. (November 30, 2017). Brand extensions drive Emami. From Business Standard,
http://www.emamiltd.in/images/newsupcoming/20171130030940.pdf

● Singh, N. (October 15, 2019). Nandita Das, tired of being called Dark and Dusky, fights against
colourism. From The Print,
https://theprint.in/features/nandita-das-tired-called-darkdusky-fighting-against-colourism/306202/

● Abraham, M. (September 4, 2017). Dark is beautiful- the battle to end the world's obsession with
lighter skin. From The Guardian,
https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2017/sep/04/darkis-beautiful-battle-to-end-worlds-obsession
-with-lighter-skin

● Yasir, S., Gettleman, J. (June 28, 2020). India debates skin tone Bias as beauty companies alter ads.
From The New York Times,
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/28/world/asia/india-skin-color-unilever.html

● Dixit, N. (July 10, 2019). Fair, but no so lovely: India’s obsession with Skin whitening. From
brightthemag.com,
https://brightthemag.com/fair-but-not-so-lovely-indias-obsession-withskin-whitening-beauty-body-i
mage-bleaching-4d6ba9c9743d

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 RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE

Q 1. Gender?
● Male
● Female
● Prefer Not to Say

Q 2. Age?
● 16-25
● 25-40
● 40 and above

Q 3. Occupation?
● Student
● Homemaker
● Business Owner
● Working Professional
● Others

Q 4. Education?
● Under-graduate
● Graduate
● Post-graduate
● Professional/Diploma

Q.5. Are you aware about fairness creams?

● Yes
● No

Q.6. Have you ever used a fairness cream?

● Yes
● No

Q.7. Which fairness cream brands are you familiar with?

● Fair & Lovely/ Fair & Handsome
● Olay

65
 ● Garnier Men/Women
● Ponds White Beauty
● Lakme
● Lotus Herbals
● Biotique
● Neutrogena
● L'oreal
● Himalaya Herbals
● Clean & Clear
● Others

Q.8. What product feature is important when deciding between different brands of fairness creams?
● Skin Lightening
● Anti-Ageing
● Protection against UV Rays 84
● Anti-bacterial
● Works throughout the day
● Moisturises the skin
● Illuminated, glowing skin
● Removes dullness & dark spots
● Multivitamin
● Fragrance

Q.9. Where do you usually purchase the product from?

● General/Grocery Stores
● Supermarkets
● Online

Q.10. Who have you heard about fairness creams from?

● Family & Friends
● Retailers
● Advertisements
● Online

Q. 11. On a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being least important and 5 being most important, rank the below factors
that may influence the decision to purchase a fairness cream.
● Price
66
 ● Discounts, Combo Offers, Buy 1, get 1 free
● Availability
● Loyalty based on past product experience o
● Suitable for your skin 85
● Seen Product Advertisements
● Endorsed by a celebrity
● Packaging
● Recommended by friends and family
● Brand Image

Q.12. Are you satisfied with your skin complexion?

● Yes
● No
● Maybe

Q.13. What inspires you to use fairness creams?

● To look beautiful
● To get a fairer complexion
● Added benefits like anti-ageing, anti-blemish
● To get glowing, healthy skin
● I don't use fairness creams
● Other

Q. 14. Do you think our society makes those who are dark skinned feel inferior/less
privileged/disgraced?
● Yes
● No
● Maybe

Q. 15. Have you seen advertisements by the below fairness cream brands?
● Fair & Lovely/ Fair & Handsome 86
● Olay
● Garnier Men/Women
● Ponds White Beauty
● Lakme
● Lotus Herbals
● Biotique
67
 ● Neutrogena
● L'oreal
● Himalaya Herbals
● Clean & Clear
Q.16. How do you feel about advertisements by fairness creams?
● Ethical
● Unethical
● Required since there is a demand for the product
● Other

Q.17. What do you feel about the below statements related to fairness creams and their perception?
● Ads by fairness creams give a lot of prominence to fair skin tones
● Ads by fairness creams deliberately elevate the obsession of fair skin in Indian society
● Ads by fairness creams influence the definition of beauty
● Strong persuasive ads by fairness creams play a pivotal role in influencing possession of the product

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