Johnson & Johnson stops sale of 'Clean & Clear' fairness products in India amid criticism

Amid a global debate over racial inequality and mounting social pressure across the world, Johnson & Johnson has decided to stop selling fairness creams popular in Asia and the Middle East, it said on Friday.

The Clean & Clear Fairness products by Johnson & Johnson will no longer be sold in India, a spokeswoman had reportedly said. Earlier this month, the brand also announced that it will drop the Neutrogena Fine Fairness line, available in Asian and the Middle Eastern markets.

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Commenting on the backlash that Johnson & Johnson products represent fairness or white skin as better than one’s own skin tone, the company said that it never intended to endorse such an idea. It added that its motto was “healthy skin is beautiful skin". The healthcare company said it would no longer produce or ship its dark spot removal creams, and they might still appear on store shelves until stocks run out.

Some of world’s biggest personal care companies including Unilever, Procter & Gamble (P&G), and L'Oreal promise lighter skin tone to women under their respective brands Fair & Lovely, Olay, and Garnier. As of now, no steps has been taken by these companies to curb the production of fairness or anti-aging creams.

Nearly 6,277 tonnes of skin lightening products were sold worldwide in 2019, including products marketed as anti-aging or dark spots removal creams.

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(Image credits: PTI)