WOONSOCKET – CVS Pharmacy, the retail division of CVS Health Corp., announced Monday it has committed to create new standards for postproduction alterations of “beauty imagery” the company creates for its stores, websites, social media and marketing material.
“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 B. Foulkes, president of CVS Pharmacy and executive vice president of CVS Health, in a statement. “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.”
The company also announced that by 2020, the company will identify any beauty imagery that has been altered in its stores.
Products that have not been materially altered will receive a newly dubbed “CVS Beauty Mark” designation from the retailer. The CVS Beauty Mark will start to appear on CVS Pharmacy-produced beauty imagery in 2018.
“We’ve reached out to many of our beauty-brand partners, many of whom are already thinking about this important issue, to work together to ensure that the beauty aisle is a place that represents and celebrates the authenticity and diversity of the communities we serve,” Foulkes added.
The company said the transparency initiative was undertaken in “an effort to lead positive change around transparency in beauty as well as to allow customers to differentiate between authentic and materially altered imagery.”
