Nivea subject of backlash over skin lightening cream advertisement

Nivea is receiving a barrage of criticism over ‘racist’ advertisements showing across West Africa. These TV spots promote a body lotion that purportedly lightens the skin of black women, with a black actress saying that she uses the product to “restore [her] skin’s natural fairness”. A man then compliments her, calling her skin “beautiful” and “glowing”, and fairer skin is described as younger looking.

Quite a bit of outcry made its way onto social media. American actress Monica Raymund tweeted, calling a clip “horrendous” and that Nivea was pushing a racist agenda in Africa. English entrepreneur William Adoasi observed that “[t]his is why black businesses need to rise up and cater to our needs”. A third commentator states that “[t]here is a market for this in Africa. Sadly, Nivea is taking the bait”.

There is indeed a wide market for skin lightening products in West Africa. Around two-thirds of women in Nigeria use creams for fairer skin, with demand for lotions like Nivea’s in Ghana, Kenya, and Senegal, according to a 2016 report by the University of Cape Town.

This uproar comes only months after Nivea came forward to apologise for a different offensive product sold in the Middle East – a deodorant touting the tagline “White is Purity”. Earlier in October, Dove apologised for a contentious commercial displaying a black woman pulling off her shirt to reveal a white woman underneath.

Nivea’s parent company, Beiersdorf Global, has yet to comment.

Ayan Goran