M&S replaces ‘nude’ shade from all product ranges to be more inclusive
Marks and Spencer are updating the names of its product ranges that previously included the shade “nude” as part of its “commitment to celebrate diversity and inclusion”.
The colour “nude” has long been associated with light or fair skin tones, but the retailer is looking to change that.
In June 2021, M&S released a statement highlighting its commitment to “creating an inclusive culture” for customers and staff.
The retailer promised to ensure its marketing is more inclusive and to include “a more diverse model mix, including people of different races, ethnicities, shapes, sizes and disabilities”.
Products such as lipstick, lingerie, and tights now feature names like “almond” and “opaline” instead of “nude”.
Shades previously known as “nude” and “natural tan” are now called “opaline” and “rose quartz”.
M&S explains in the product description on its website for the Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick: “Noticed something different? We’ve been reviewing our product and colour names in line with our commitment to celebrate diversity and inclusion.
“We’re removing any names that we don’t believe reflect this commitment. This product used to have a variant called Nude which we have amended to Almond.
“Please don’t worry if the name on the packaging looks different, our packaging takes a little longer to update.”
For lingerie items like the Flexifit Wired Full-Cup T-Shirt Bra, the names for darker skin tones have also been updated.
Shades like “tobacco”, “cocoa”, and “cinnamon” have now been changed to “topaz,”, “rich quartz”, and “rich amber” respectively.
