German cosmetics firm NIVEA has said its billboard ad which promotes “visibly fairer skin” is not meant to demean dark-skinned people nor glorify fair-skinned people.

The ad attracted a lot of bashing from Ghanaians on social media with several people expressing disgust about it.

In a statement, however, NIVEA said: “We have recently noted concerns on social media by some consumers regarding our NIVEA Natural Fairness Body Lotion communication in Ghana. We would like to emphasise that this campaign is in no way meant to demean or glorify any person’s needs or preferences in skin care.”

It said “as a global leader in skin care has developed a safe product that contains natural ingredients and UV filters, which protect the skin from long-term sun damage and premature skin-aging as well as reduce the sun-induced production of melanin, which, over time, can lead to an uneven skin tone.”

“At Beiersdorf, we develop our products with the objective of helping consumers to maintain their skin’s health and beauty in all its diversity, and we have a wide range of products designed to address the different needs of our consumers worldwide.

“We respect every consumer’s right to choose products according to their personal preferences, and we are guided by that to responsibly provide them with safe and high-quality skin care product choices,” the company added.