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WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Pharmacy, the retail division of CVS Health, announced significant progress toward the goal of full transparency for all of its beauty imagery by the end of 2020 and its efforts to create new industry standards for post-production alterations of beauty imagery. Just one year after the Company made the commitment to create new standards for post-production alterations of beauty imagery, nearly 70% of beauty imagery in CVS Pharmacy locations nationwide will be CVS Beauty Mark compliant.
First announced in January 2018, the CVS Beauty Mark initiative was introduced to lead positive change around transparency in beauty in order to educate customers on the difference between authentic and digitally altered imagery.
Kerry Washington in a Neutrogena ad featuring the CVS Beauty Mark.
At an event at the CVS Pharmacy in Times Square Thursday, the Company revealed the first look at its updated beauty aisles and celebrated the leadership of the brand partners that joined in the effort over the past year to strive for transparency for beauty imagery. CVS Executives were joined by key brand partner executives at the event and by COVERGIRL Ayesha Curry, who appears digitally unaltered in a campaign image for COVERGIRL Outlast Lipstick. Additionally, Neutrogena Brand Ambassador, Kerry Washington, and Revlon Brand Ambassador, Ashley Graham, as well as other influential brand ambassadors also appear digitally unaltered in their images as part of their respective new campaigns.
“As a purpose-led health care company as well as the second largest beauty retailer in the country, we want the millions of customers that visit CVS Pharmacy locations each day to see a more authentic and diverse representation of beauty,” said Kevin Hourican, president of CVS Pharmacy. “We applaud the brand partners that truly embraced this initiative and helped us in taking significant steps forward in our effort to change an industry standard that has an impact on the health and self-esteem of our mutual customers.”
Brand partners throughout the beauty industry that have made the commitment to work together to reach the goal of full beauty imagery transparency by the end of 2020 include Neutrogena, COVERGIRL, Revlon, Olay, Almay, Aveeno, Rimmel, JOAH, L’Oreal, Maybelline, Unilever, Burt’s Bees and Physician’s Formula.
In addition to the beauty imagery in CVS Pharmacy locations, all beauty imagery, including brand partner imagery, used on www.CVS.com, and in all marketing to customers, including on social media and for external advertising and promotions, reflects the CVS Beauty Mark commitment. These channels reach more than 100 million consumers each year. In addition, CVS Pharmacy has instituted a contractual requirement for all of its beauty influencer partners to create and share only imagery that has not been digitally altered and does not use social filters.
Ayesha Curry in a CoverGirl ad featuring the CVS Beauty Mark.
“From TV to social media to walking retail aisles searching for a beauty product, Americans, particularly young women, are influenced by media portraying an unrealistic representation of beauty, leading to negative feelings about their own appearance,” said Dr. Tochi Iroku-Malize, a practicing family physician in Bay Shore, New York, and member of the American Academy of Family Physicians Board of Directors. “Research shows that exposure to altered media is linked to poor self-image, and that dissatisfaction can lead to critical health concerns. Working to reduce altered imagery from beauty campaigns and addressing this issue at the point of purchase is a great first step to improve how young people feel about their appearance.”
CVS Pharmacy is proud to support Girls Inc. in their mission to help all girls become strong, smart and bold in celebration of the CVS Beauty Mark initiative. During select weeks in February, with the purchase of select Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble and L’Oreal beauty products, a $1 donation will be made to Girls Inc., up to $300,000 collectively for the entire promotion period. Learn complete promotion details, including offer periods and participating products at www.cvs.com/beautymark.
“The mission of Girls Inc. is to inspire all girls to be strong, smart and bold. Foundational to this work is ensuring girls have the skills and knowledge to critically analyze the messages and images they receive daily and reinforcing the importance of valuing their whole selves. The commitment CVS Pharmacy has made through the Beauty Mark initiative aligns perfectly to our mission and sends a powerfully positive message to girls that beauty comes in all forms and is a reflection of every part of who they are and what makes them unique,” said Judy Vredenburgh, Girls Inc., president and CEO.
CVS Pharmacy also partnered with lifestyle experts Sara and Erin Foster to create a limited-edition t-shirt that celebrates unaltered imagery and the CVS Beauty Mark. The Sara & Erin x CVS “Sans Retouching” t-shirt will be available for purchase on www.cvs.com/beautymark beginning January 24, 2019 with 100% of the proceeds also supporting Girls Inc.
To raise awareness about the CVS Beauty Mark and the importance of a more authentic and transparent beauty imagery standard, CVS Pharmacy is encouraging consumers to post an unfiltered and unaltered picture of themselves on their social media channels with the hashtag #beautyunaltered.
CVS Health has previously made significant changes in its retail stores with the health of its customers in mind, such as ending the sale of tobacco products, delivering healthier food options throughout CVS Pharmacy stores and committing to remove parabens, phthalates and the most prevalent formaldehyde donors from our store brand beauty and personal care items by the end of this year.
