Coty is tackling restrictive beauty standards with a renewed push of its ‘Undefine Beauty’ campaign, seeking to get major publishers to update the outdated definition of beauty found in dictionaries.
The owner of CoverGirl and Rimmel London brought together experts to discuss and debunk beauty myths across perspectives from neuroscience, art, social media, sociology and mental health.
“As a beauty company, we recognise our responsibility to reflect a diverse vision of beauty,” said Sue Nabi, Coty CEO.
“Our ongoing commitment to this campaign, including our latest roundtable discussion, underscore our resolve to create beauty for everyone.
“Our goal is to help each person feel their most beautiful self.”
Coty first launched the campaign in 2023 with an open letter calling for the definition of beauty to be changed.
The phrase often used in dictionaries is ”she was considered a great beauty in her youth”, which Coty argues is limiting and exclusive.
The beauty giant is now calling for fresh action after receiving no response from publishers.
A petition launched on Change.org for others to support the cause has gained over 10,000 signatures and has a goal of 15,000.
In a social experiment at the time involving 100 consumers across a number of nationalities, ages, races and genders were asked for their own definitions of beauty.
“Being happy with who you are”, “having the freedom to be yourself”, and “if you feel beautiful, then you are beautiful” were among the answers given.
After being shown the dictionary definition, the participants agreed it was limiting.
In a fresh letter to publishers, Coty said: “Two years ago, we reached out to you, suggesting to review and update the definition of beauty in your dictionaries.
“Today, we renew this call with even greater urgency, driven by insights shared during a recent cross-industry roundtable convened by Coty.”
It said descriptions such as the often-used phrase “do more than just misrepresent beauty; they perpetuate harmful stereotypes, contribute to mental health issues, and exclude the richness and complexity that represent beauty in our world today”.
Speaking after the latest round table discussion, brain scientist and psychologist John-Dylan Haynes, a Professor at the Charite Medical University in Berlin, said: “There is no valid single standard of beauty; the way we assess beauty is acquired, rather than evolutionary.”