This UK Drugstore Will No Longer Stock Foundations That Don't Come in Diverse Shades
Superdrug is demanding brands have a minimum of 20 tones.
Diversity within the beauty industry has become an increasingly buzzy topic following what many have dubbed the “Fenty Effect” after Rihanna released her eponymous beauty brand. While some cosmetics companies have jumped on the bandwagon and have upped their offering in terms of products like foundations and concealers to be more inclusive of a wider range of skin tones, some are still falling behind. One major retailer that’s dedicated to change however is Superdrug, which has recently announced it will no longer stock foundation products that don’t come in a minimum of 20 different shades.
According to Stylist, the UK drugstore wrote to all of its suppliers earlier this year to discuss just how important diversity is to the business and demanded that all foundation or base products will need to cater to a wide range of customers. The company added that any brand that doesn’t offer at least 20 shades in these products won’t be offered a space in its stores.
Additionally, brands have been asked to offer more warm and cool tones so items like powders and concealers are also more inclusive of differing skin tones. Discussing the policy, Superdrug’s commercial director Simon Comins shared:
“Diversity has become a buzzword in the beauty industry over the last few years, but at Superdrug we don’t see inclusivity as a trend, it is a fact of life. In 2019 it is unacceptable that some brands aren’t catering to our diverse and beautiful customer base. We want all our customers, no matter what gender, shade or skin type to be able to get their correct foundation in store and online. This is why we challenged our suppliers to be truly inclusive and offer a minimum of 20 shades ranging from pale to dark.
We currently have over 650 foundations and are working really hard to increase this number. In the next few months we are launching a number of new brands including EX1 which caters to olive skintones. We’re also taking time to broaden the shades available in our B. by Superdrug collection of vegan makeup to offer more options for all customers.”
In related news, have you heard Chanel, Gucci and Burberry all recently hired Diversity Directors?
