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Unilever to drop 'normal' from beauty products

Unilever wants to become more inclusive.

The maker of Dove soap will remove the word "normal" from its beauty and personal care products.

And will stop digital alteration of body shapes and the skin colour of models used in its advertising.

The London-based company is one of the top advertisers in the world.

But the changes come as it tries to move beyond the backlash it has faced for some of its campaigns.

Last year Unilever was pushed to rename its top selling skin-lightening brand in India as "Glow & Lovely" instead of "Fair & Lovely".

And in 2017 the company faced a social media outcry over an advert for Dove body wash.

It showed a black woman removing her top to reveal a white woman.

More recently, an ad forced Unilever to pull all its TRESemmé haircare products from South African retail stores for 10 days due to a backlash.

The company's president on Tuesday (March 9) told Reuters "we know that removing 'normal' alone will not fix the problem, but we believe it is an important step towards a more inclusive definition of beauty."

Globally, more than a hundred Unilever brands will have the word "normal" removed.

It'll be replaced with terms such as "grey hair" for shampoos or "moisture replenish" for skin creams by March next year.