Report: Estee Lauder Is Reviewing Its Products For Skin-Lightening References

Estee Lauder executives told employees about the product review last month in a memo obtained by Bloomberg; Estee Lauder did not immediately respond to Forbes request to comment.

In addition to evaluating the use of terms such as “brightening” and “lightning,” the company will determine if certain product lines should have wider ranges of shades or formulas to appeal to more shoppers, Estee Lauder senior vice president Susan Akkad told Bloomberg.

Representatives didn’t disclose the products that have been reviewed so far, but Estee Lauder, which owns more than 25 brands including Clinique, La Mer and Bobbi Brown, has used “whitening” or “brightening” on labels for some products.

Competitors L’Oreal, Unilever and Johnson & Johnson announced reviews and changes in June after being met with claims that skin-lightening products perpetuate colorism, prejudice against people based on their skin tone. 

Employees sent a letter to chairman William Lauder, an heir to the Estee Lauder fortune, in June saying the company was hurting its relationship with the Black community and its own Black employees by not doing enough to address race-related issues.

The company pledged to do better, including hiring more Black employees and forming an external advisory board to take action on the company’s commitment to work with more Black-owned businesses, according to the memo.