CVS Pharmacy has banned the use of alterations on beauty imagery created for stores, websites, social media and any marketing materials, taking a step against the adverse nature modified photos in beauty.
CVS will require transparency for imagery that has been materially altered by the end of 2020. The company defines materially altered as "changing or enhancing a person's shape, size, proportion, skin or eye color, wrinkles or any other individual characteristics." In a press release, the company introduced "CVS Beauty Mark," a watermark that will be used to feature imagery that has not been materially altered.
"As a woman, mother and president of a retail business whose customers predominantly are women, I realize we have a responsibility to think about the messages we send to the customers we reach each day," said Helena Foulkes, President of CVS Pharmacy and Executive Vice President. "The connection between the propagation of unrealistic body images and negative health effects, especially in girls and young women, has been established. As a purpose-led company, we strive to do our best to assure all of the messages we are sending to our customers reflect our purpose of helping people on their path to better health."
CVS will partner up with other brands and industry experts to "develop specific guidelines in an effort to ensure consistency and transparency." Some of the company's largest beauty product suppliers include Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, Unilever, L'Oreal, Maybelline and CoverGirl owner Coty, as reported by USA Today. Girls Inc. has already teamed up with CVS's movement of tackling beauty standards to "counter limiting stereotypes too often faced by girls and women," according to Girls Inc. CEO and President Judy Vredenburgh.
Whether you are for beauty campaigns or not, CVS has taken steps with the health of their customers in mind: the sale of tobacco has been banned and CVS has promised to remove certain chemicals from all store brand beauty and personal care items by 2019.
