Skincare brand Skin Proud has launched a campaign to end Photoshopping in skincare adverts, encouraging people to be ‘proud, not perfect’.

Recent research commissioned by the brand found that 53% of respondents in the UK wished they were more confident in their natural skin. They also found that nearly half of those sampled edited photos to make themselves feel more confident.

Believing this to be a dangerous combination that can feed insecurity and leave people feeling less confident than ever, Skin Proud is passionate about portraying real skin and feels that other skincare brands have a responsibility to do the same.  

Since its launch in April 2020 the brand has been committed to using diverse, inclusive models and unfiltered and unretouched images in its campaigns, not wanting to contribute to unrealistic beauty standards or negatively impact the mental health of those consuming the images. Skin Proud believes that when the skin we see in adverts looks like real skin,we have the power to create a kinder and more inclusive society where people can be proud of the skin they’re in.

Nora Zukauskaite, Skin Proud’s global head of marketing, says: “We are so excited to launch our campaign to end photoshopping in skincare adverts. Using unedited photos has been central to our brand since launching in April, and we feel that the industry has a responsibility to do the same - representing real skin and creating an environment in which no matter your skin, you can feel proud.” 

Skin Proud’s petition to Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) can be found here.