CVS is adopting a bold strategy that's paying off for lingerie brands
- CVS has announced that it will not be digitally altering its beauty images.
- All images used online - on apps, on social media, or for marketing - will not be altered, according to a statement from the company.
- Non-Photoshopped images will be labeled with a new "CVS Beauty Mark."
CVS wants to empower women. On Tuesday, the pharmacy chain joined body-positive brands such as Aerie by announcing that it would not "materially alter" any of the images used to market its CVS Pharmacy-produced beauty products online and in stores.
The company is cashing in on a trend of promoting natural beauty and self-acceptance in ad campaigns to appeal to female shoppers.
"In the last year we have heard this growing chorus of women wanting to have a conversation about body imagery," Helena Foulkes, the president of CVS Pharmacy, said in a statement to the press.
"We all want to be reflected in a true fashion; we want to see photos that seem real and authentic," she said.
To do so, CVS will not alter the shape, size, or proportion of the model's face, remove lines, or enhance it in any way.
"We want our beauty aisle to be a place where our customers can always come to feel good, while representing and celebrating the authenticity and diversity of the communities we serve," the company said in its statement.
CVS will also be creating a label, known as the "CVS Beauty Mark," that flags the images that have not been Photoshopped to consumers. It will also be working with other brands to ensure that they do the same, with the goal of having stores be completely transparent by 2020.
American Eagle's lingerie brand, Aerie, stopped retouching images in 2014. This marketing campaign has resonated well with its shoppers. The store has seen 11 consecutive quarters of same-store sales growth, while Victoria's Secret, known for its rail-thin models, has seen negative sales growth for the past year.
Fashion retailer ASOS similarly started featuring unretouched photos of models on its website.