No7 shuns airbrushed models for British beauty

Boots’ No7 cosmetics brand is to launch what it claims is a “mould breaking” campaign with ads starring non-airbrushed, age-appropriate models that have not had plastic surgery.

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Brand chiefs reckon the use of unenhanced models in the Mother created “Ta Dah” activity highlights the “truly eclectic and diverse nature” of British women, while not “misrepresenting” the efficacy of the products’ properties.

By not insisting that models wear false eyelashes or by using 30-year olds to push products for the over-50s, the company claims the ads show the products “really work”.

Feh Tarty, creative director of Mother, says that NO7 is “breaking the mould” by not retouching or digitally manipulating images.

He adds: “We have ensured that all our models represent all forms of British beauty, without any cosmetic enhancements.”

The activity has echoes of Dove’s Real Women campaign, although the Unilever brand did not use models in its ads.

Cosmetics brands have been criticised by politicians for airbrushing. Jo Swinson MP and equalities minister and fellow Lib Dem MP Lynne Featherstone set up the anti-airbrushing ’Campaign for Body Confidence’ last year to try and stamp out what they claim are “socially irresponsible” campaigns.

Swinson recently scored a win for the campaign by getting two L’Oreal ads withdrawn for using enhanced images of model Christy Turlington and actress Julia Roberts.

The No7 campaign will launch on 10 August.

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