Olay pledges to stop retouching models' skin in its ads
Olay is going all natural! The skin care brand has pledged to stop retouching models’ faces in ads in the United States and Canada by 2021.
As part of this pledge, the company is rolling out the "Olay Skin Promise," a logo that will be stamped on print, digital and TV ads signifying that models' skin has not been airbrushed.
Olay kicked off its commitment to zero retouching with a campaign featuring actress Busy Philipps, talk show host Lilly Singh and model Denise Bidot.
All three women bared their beautiful, natural skin without any digital retouching.
"Olay is all about inspiring women to make bold choices. ... We think that starts with seeing women who look like themselves in the ads they see every day,” Christopher Heiert, vice president and general manager of Olay Global Franchise and North America Skin Care, told TODAY Style in an email.
Olay’s no-retouching pledge comes on the heels of the brand’s recent Super Bowl ad celebrating women in STEM.
The ad, which starred Philipps, Singh and former astronaut Nicole Stott, was a test run for the new campaign, Heiert said.
"The decision to declare a commitment to zero retouching of skin images was made well ahead of the Super Bowl, but our Super Bowl ad was the first time we really tested it to see how it would come to life," he told TODAY Style.
Olay's "Skin Promise" was inspired by a similar campaign from CVS. In 2018, the drugstore chain promised to stop digitally altering models' photos on products. CVS announced it would include a "CVS Beauty Mark" on products, which would certify that models' skin had not been retouched. Meanwhile, products that had been altered would have to come with a "digitally modified" warning label.
"We are proud to be one of the first brands to fully embrace this movement towards transparent and authentic beauty imagery that CVS inspired with its Beauty Mark announcement in 2018," Heiert said.
Olay is the latest brand to swear off digital retouching. Clothing retailers including Aerie, Asos and ModCloth have rejected airbrushing in their advertising in recent years. Target has also been praised for its unretouched swimsuit ads.
Heier said he hopes Olay’s new ban on digital retouching will help women and girls see healthier reflections of themselves in ads. He added that he hopes this campaign helps people feel more comfortable showing off photos of their natural skin.
"We know social media is a source that sets unrealistic expectations for women, so we are proud to start to fill social feeds with authentic images of strong, confident women," he said. "I hope that women everywhere will notice a difference in our advertising materials and that they will feel inspired to post photos of themselves exactly as they are."
