Skincare brand Dove apologised this weekend after publishing an advertisement on its Facebook page showing a black woman turning into a white woman.
The brand owned by Anglo-Dutch consumer group Unilever posted a 3-second GIF showing a looping image of a black woman removing a dark brown t-shirt to reveal a white woman. She then removes her beige t-shirt to show a third woman.
"This did not represent the diversity of real beauty which is something Dove is passionate about and is core to our beliefs, and it should not have happened," the company said in a statement on October 8.
"We apologise deeply and sincerely for the offense that it has caused and do not condone any activity or imagery that insults any audience."
The Facebook advertisement - which has now been removed - was shared by Naomi Blake, an American makeup artist who goes by the name Naythemua.
This isn't the first time a Dove campaign has raised eyebrows.
In 2011, an ad for one line of Dove body washes showed a before-and-after image that appeared to put three women on a colour gradient - with the most fair-skinned one as the best result.
