Not just Pepsi: Nivea removes ‘White Is Purity’ ads amidst backlash

Pepsi isn’t the only company in trouble for an insensitive ad. Recently, Nivea came under fire for an ad for its Invisible for Black and White deodorant, and the ad has since been taken down.

The ad features the words “white is purity” along with an image of a woman in a white robe. On Facebook, the ad is captioned, “Keep it clean, keep bright. Don’t let anything ruin it.”

Another ad, for the same deodorant, is still up on the Facebook page and reads: “Believe in Invisible for Black and White from Nivea. Black stays black. White stays white.”

— Pepsi pulls Kendall Jenner ad, apologizes after major backlash — 

Many members of the alt-right saw this as a wink and a nod to the white supremacist movement and called for support of the brand, while everyone else saw it as a horrible idea, blasting the ad and its message online until the ad was taken down and the brand issued apologies to those who were outraged on Twitter.

“The Nivea Middle East post was not meant to be offensive,” one tweet read. “We apologize. It’s been removed. Nivea values diversity and tolerance.”

In a formal statement to the Washington Post, Nivea’s parent company, Beiersdorf Global AG, added, “That image was inappropriate and not reflective of our values as a company. We deeply apologize for that and have removed the post. Diversity and inclusivity are crucial values of Nivea. We take pride in creating products that promote beauty in all forms. Discrimination of any kind is simply not acceptable to us as a company, as employees or as individuals.”

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