Only a week after after Dove made a public apology for a Facebook ad that many people felt was racially offensive, another skincare giant has been accused of a similar thing. German personal care company, Nivea, has recently come under fire for a new cream that promises women of color that they can have “visibly lighter skin.”
The cream is called Natural Fairness and is being marketed specifically to women in the Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and Senegal areas of Africa. Miss Nigeria, Omowunmi Akinnifesi, is featured on billboards using the product, and a television ad shows a Black model’s skin turning a lighter shade after applying the product.
Social media users all over the globe have been sharing a series of billboards and television commercials for Nivea’s new moisturizer. The campaign and the cream have caused outrage since their debuts, prompting a #TakeItDown campaign on social media.
