Tesco becomes first UK supermarket to sell plasters for different skin tones after an employee saw a viral tweet by an emotional black man who’d finally found one to match his complexion
- Plasters in dark, medium and light shades are available in store and online today
- Inclusive move followed a viral tweet shared by Dominique Apollon last year
- He claimed he was holding back tears after finding plaster to match his skin tone
- No UK supermarket had ever stocked plasters in a range of skin tones before
Tesco has become the first UK supermarket to launch plasters in a diverse range of skin tones – a move the retailer claims could ‘make a genuine difference’.
The plasters come in dark, medium and light shades and will be available online and in all 741 Tesco stores from Monday, costing £1.
The supermarket said it developed the plasters after an employee saw a viral tweet in which a black man said he was ‘holding back tears’ at finding a plaster that matched his skin tone after 45 years.
Dominique Apollon, the vice president of research at nonprofit Race Forward, from California, shared the emotional tweet in April last year.
Tesco has become the first UK supermarket to launch plasters in a diverse range of skin tones – a move the retailer claims could ‘make a genuine difference’
The plasters come in dark (pictured), medium and light shades and will be available online and in all 741 Tesco stores from Monday, costing £1
He wrote: ‘It’s taken me 45 trips around the sun, but for the first time in my life I know what it feels like to have a “band-aid” in my own skin tone.
‘You can barely even spot it in the first image. For real I’m holding back tears.’
His tweet attracted more than 102,200 retweets and over 538,300 likes, and provoked a flurry of responses from other Twitter users.
Many pointed out how significant the issue of representative plaster tones is for those in black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities.
Some went so far as to argue they were first made aware of the issue of race as a child when they put on plasters, while Star Wars actor John Boyega revealed make-up artists had to paint his plasters brown to get him ‘picture ready’ after he cut himself on set.
The supermarket said it developed the plasters after an employee saw a viral tweet in which a black man said he was ‘holding back tears’ at finding a plaster that matched his skin tone after 45 years
Dominique followed up with a further tweet, writing: ‘This felt like belonging. Like feeling valued. Sadness for my younger self and millions of kids of color, esp black kids. Like a reminder of countless spaces where my skin is still not welcomed. Feared. Hated. Like, “Why am I really thinking all this ’bout an effing band-aid?”‘
Paulette Balson, chairwoman of the BAME at Tesco network, said: ‘One of the main objectives of our network is to help Tesco better serve our customers from all backgrounds and communities.
‘No UK supermarket had ever stocked plasters in a range of skin tones before and we saw this as an opportunity for Tesco to lead the charge and make a genuine difference.
Star Wars actor John Boyega revealed make-up artists had to paint his plasters brown to get him ‘picture ready’ after he cut himself on set
‘Through our research within the network, we know how emotive a product like this can be.
‘For example, one colleague reported that their child had felt self-conscious wearing a plaster on their face to school recently, because it didn’t match their skin tone and stood out.’
Nicola Robinson, health, beauty and wellness director at Tesco, added: ‘As one of the largest retailers in the UK, we understand that we have a responsibility to ensure our products reflect the diversity of our customers and colleagues.
‘We believe the launch of our new skin tone plaster range is an important step and a move that we hope will be replicated by other retailers and supermarkets across the country.’