Unilever Thailand Defends Skin-Whitening Brand Against Discrimination Charges

Unilever Thailand’s Citra Thailand brand defended itself against accusations of racial discrimination over its campaign for a skin-whitening product. Describing itself as a leading brand for skin-whitening products, Citra Thailand aired a television advertisement featuring presenters asking female students what would make them “outstanding in uniform.” The TV commercial featured a darker-skinned girl who says she does not know and a whiter-skinned girl who answers with the Citra product slogan. Posts by consumers by the popular online comments site pantip.com were mostly negative, berating the company for linking skin complexion with education.