US Retailer CVS Pledges To Make Beauty Advertising Realistic

American retailer CVS has said it will not promote heavily retouched makeup ads. “We will not digitally alter or change a person’s shape, size, proportion, skin or eye colour or enhance or alter lines, wrinkles or other individual characteristics,” CVS announced.

It will start putting a CVS Beauty Mark on images that have not been materially altered

 “We’ve made this decision based on the American Medical Association identifying the propagation of unrealistic body images as a significant driver of emotional and mental health issues,” it said.

However, some changes will be acceptable, said the retailer.

Cleaning up flyaway hair, smoothing out a wrinkle in clothing, making a shade of lipstick more vivid and other non-material changes will still be acceptable

It will start applying changes this year

CVS will start applying its mark this year. It has reached out to its beauty partners such as L’Oreal, CoverGirl an Coty to cooperate with them. The company operates around 8,000 CVS stores, 1,700 pharmacies and controls at least half the drugstore market. 

Focus on wellness

Recently, CVS has tried to position itself as a company focused on wellness. It started phasing out tobacco products in 2014.

Other firms to join the body positivity campaign include Dove which has agreed to not use models in its campaigns. Also, American Eagle’s lingerie brand, Aerie, refuses to retouch its images.

In America, the Association of National Advertisers launched an initiative called #SeeHer which aims to address the unconscious bias against women in advertising and media. “The mission of #SeeHer is to accurately portray all girls and women in media so that by 2020, they see themselves reflected as they truly are,” according to a statement from the ANA.

It's time cosmetics companies in India start to take similar stands.

Also Read: Thin Models Flaunt Plus-Size Tights In Ads, Spark Controversy