scorecardresearch
Wednesday, September 3, 2025
TopicFairness creams

Topic: fairness creams

Dabur Fem’s ad plays on fairness obsession. But it got Indians talking about LGBTQ at least

Dabur Fem's Karva Chauth ad might be rainbow-packaged conservatism. But chatter on LGBTQ+ community is key.

Before Fair & Lovely, there was Afghan Snow ⁠— all about the fairness creams market in India

The fairness cream industry has a long and prosperous history in India, and was estimated to touch Rs 5,000 crore by 2023, until the Black Lives Matter movement hit this year.

Dropping ‘Fair’ from Fair & Lovely won’t erase Indian racism

Johnsons & Johnsons, Hindustan Unilever, and even Shaadi.com, are introspecting their contribution to racism. But re-branding products is not enough.

Army against ‘soldiers’ endorsing pan masala or fairness cream, will vet ads before release

Worried about negative portrayal, Indian Army will now scan all advertisements showing actors in the uniform, and take strong note if any violation is spotted.

Billie razor’s ‘real body hair’ ad is insidious, harmful and exploitative

The ad manages to package and sell the fickle and ephemeral idea of choice to women.

Indian men are swapping ‘tall, dark and handsome’ for ‘tall, fair and debonair’

Men in India have been buying more fairness products, because of which the bleaching cream market in India alone has an annual growth rate of 18%. 

On Camera

Trump’s 4,500 troops can topple Nicolás Maduro—not fix Venezuela

The US troops could dislodge the government in Caracas, but it won’t be enough to police a country ringed by drug cartels and insurgents.

A Rs 33,000 cr ‘banking fraud’: ED’s case against Arvind Dham, Amtek’s web of ‘500 shell companies’

ED has accused Amtek promoter Arvind Dham of controlling web of nearly 500 shell companies operating as a layered structure, with up to 15 levels of indirect ownership, to divert funds.

‘Real-time, all-climate’ explosives detector could enhance airport & border security—no dogs, no swabs

Bengaluru-based CeNS designs accurate, portable, and cheap sensor using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. It could significantly reduce risks at vulnerable choke points. 

For Indian Mercedes, Asim Munir’s dumper truck in mirror is closer than it appears

From Munir’s point of view, a few bumps here and there is par for the course. He isn’t going to drive his dumper truck to its doom. He wants to use it as a weapon.