MAC Cosmetics, Dove rank as most inclusive beauty brands in AI-based index

MAC Cosmetics tops a new ranking of the most inclusive beauty brands, while Procter & Gamble-owned SK-II came in last, indicating it still has work to do when it comes to representing more shades, ages and body types in its marketing. The findings come from the inaugural SeeMe Index, which measured the inclusivity efforts of 40 beauty brands based on sales data and industry resources. The index was created by former Google executives Jason Klein and Asha Shivaji, who both also spent time in the beauty industry. The index uses a scale of 1-300 and with the help of AI scores brands on their ads, products and diversity, equity and inclusion commitments across six dimensions—gender expression, skin tone, age, observed sexual orientation, body size and visible disability. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs Only eight of the 40 brands studied earned the index’s “seal of approval” for scoring 200 points or more. They were: MAC (256.7); Dove (245.8); Esteé Lauder ( 228.8); L’Oreal Paris (215.1); NYX Cosmetics (213.3); Maybelline (213); Fenty Beauty & Fenty Skin (205.4); and e.l.f. (205.1). “We know that beauty brands are trying to be inclusive, but there is a lack of data and measurement to know if they are hitting a benchmark,” said Klein, chief operations officer and co-founder of the SeeMe Index. “The goal is to provide them with more data about their gaps so they can improve.” MAC’s top score reflects its multi-year efforts to support Black and LGBTQ+ communities through ads, product shades and charitable commitments. The brand recently made headlines for partnering with Sabrina Bahsoon, aka Tube Girl, who went viral for her unabashed quick-moving TikToks on the London Tube. View this post on Instagram A post shared by M·A·C Cosmetics (@maccosmetics) Dove, known for its long-running and groundbreaking “Real Beauty” campaign, earned the index’s second spot because of its use of a variety of body sizes and hair types in ads, as well as the brand’s efforts to fight race-based hair discrimination and body size discrimination. Fenty Beauty, which was created by Rihanna, was noted for its products’ skin tone diversity, and for ads that featured disabled individuals, people ages 55+ and LGBTQIA+ communities. “For the top eight, we really see an organizational approach to inclusivity,” said Shivijai, CEO of the index whose resume includes stints at Esteé Lauder and Johnson & Jonson. “The other thing is that they have found an intersectional approach when it comes to the brand and the identity of consumers that goes beyond posting for a particular month or day.” Klein pointed to Maybelline’s “Brave Together” program that began in 2020 and addresses anxiety and depression. The program partners with the National Alliance on Mental Health, which provides resources for counseling based on identity or culture. “They realize that if you are a person of color dealing with anxiety or depression, you may experience or deal with those differently than a white person,” said Klein, who worked at Maybelline from 2011 to 2015, according to his LinkedIn. “It’s also typically harder for people of color and members of the LGBTQ community to find therapists like them.” The least inclusive brand was SK-II, P&G’s Japanese beauty brand with a score of 70, according to the index. That put it in the “Think Inclusive” category (0-119 points), which are described as brands that “show promise of inclusive action” but “have significant room for improvement.” SK-II is currently partnering with Mina, a member of the Korean girl group Twice. View this post on Instagram A post shared by SK-II's Official Instagram (@skii) “While the roots of the brand are Japanese, now that they are a global company, there is an expectation that they will meet those new customers in their ads and products,” said Shivaji. “This is where the definition of inclusivity is important,” said Klein. “It’s totally fine to be a brand aimed at a certain identity group. But there is also body size, age, and gender expression that they could speak to.” Rounding out the lowest-scoring brands were Colourpop Cosmetics (107.2); Covergirl (105.2); Dior Beauty (103.7); and Kylie Cosmetics (79.6). View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kylie Cosmetics (@kyliecosmetics) The Index also analyzed more than 600 traditional, digital, and social media ads from the 40 brands. It found that people with darker skin tones averaged four times less screen time than their lighter-skinned counterparts. The data also showed that only 3% of people in the ads had larger body sizes. “It shows unintentional bias,” Klein said. “So they have models of color on set for the ad, but for some reason, in the final cut, those models have much less screen time. The same was true for larger body sizes.” The data also showed that less than 1% of people in the ads were older than 55, despite brands moving away from the term “anti-aging.” “We’re seeing brands opt instead to say ‘mature skin’ or to speak to a unique skin concern, like wrinkles or dark spots,” Shivaji said. Shivaji added that the Index compared all the beauty brands’ available shades, and found that 75% were for lighter skin tones, while the remaining 25% focused on darker shades.

MAC Cosmetics, Dove rank as most inclusive beauty brands in AI-based index

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