Tesco becomes first UK supermarket to launch plasters for different skin tones

Tesco has become the first UK supermarket to launch a new range of plasters in different skin tones.

The retailer’s new own-brand fabric plasters are available in light, medium and dark skin shades are now available to buy in all 741 Tesco stores nationwide and online.

Tesco developed the plasters following a viral tweet in April 2019 which captured the heartfelt response one man had when he put on a plaster that matched his skin tone for the very first time.

In the tweet, which has been liked over 500K times and received over 100K comments, Dominique Apollon expressed how emotional it made him that there were now plasters available in his own skin tone.

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The response to the touching message highlighted how important the issue of diverse plasters is for those in black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities and prompted Tesco to accelerate the launch of their own range of differing skin tone plasters.

The plasters were developed in collaboration with the BAME at Tesco network - an employee group that aims to make a difference by raising awareness of diversity and inclusion within the supermarket - who helped with testing, gathering feedback and had an input into the final design.

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Commenting on the launch Paulette Balson, chair of the BAME at Tesco network said in a statement: “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.

“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.”

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Seeing themselves represented can be vital, particularly for young children, so though it might not sound like much, this is actually a huge step forward for diversity.

Nicola Robinson, health, beauty and wellness director at Tesco, added that, as one of the largest retailers in the UK, Tesco understands it has 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.”

The new diverse range of plasters are available to buy in Tesco stores and online, costing £1.

Props to Tesco for taking the baton in the fight for representation, here’s hoping more will follow suit.