Band-Aid will now create bandages for darker skin tones in an effort to be more inclusive.
Until now, the company has predominately made bandages that would only be considered flesh-toned for light-skinned customers, but that has changed in the wake of widespread protests following the death of George Floyd.
“We hear you. We see you. We’re listening to you. We stand in solidarity with our Black colleagues, collaborators and community in the fight against racism, violence and injustice. We are committed to taking actions to create tangible change for the Black community,” a post on the company’s Instagram said this week. “We are committed to launching a range of bandages in light, medium and deep shades of Brown and Black skin tones that embrace the beauty of diverse skin.”
The 100-year-old brand has received criticism for years over its limited selection of bandage colors, and some are now saying the change comes too little, too late.
Orundu Johnson, a 66-year-old black woman living in New York City’s Harlem, recalled in a piece for the Atlantic, “The bandages would say flesh color, and I’d explain to my kids, ‘Well, that’s not your flesh.'”
“I only took them 100 years,” tweeted one journalist. “Welcome to 2020, Band-Aid,” wrote another.
I only took them 100 years. https://t.co/AQJ7DVCaRM
— Erin Biba (@erinbiba) June 12, 2020
Many have pointed out that other companies, such as Browndages and Tru Colour, which have black owners, were already filling the gap in the market left by the bandage giant.
Across multiple industries, efforts have increased to create a wider range of flesh-toned products for more than just white consumers. Black ballerinas, for example, have for many years covered their pointe shoes in dark makeup in a process called “pancaking” so that their shoes will create the same seamless lines that light pink shoes create for white ballerinas. Now, more brands are beginning to produce pointe shoes in brown tones.
Band-Aid also announced that as part of its efforts, the company would make a donation to Black Lives Matter.
The brand concluded, “We can, we must and we will do better.”
