Nearly two years after launching its See My Skin effort, Vaseline is back with another initiative to boost health equity in skincare.
The Unilever brand unveiled its Mended Murals effort Wednesday morning, in which the company commissioned artists to restore murals in four cities across the country.
Vaseline said there are restored murals in Brooklyn, Baltimore and Hartford, Connecticut as well as murals being vetted in Austin.
“Murals represent a culture’s strength,” a three-minute long promotional video reads. “But street art fades, chips and weathers. What was once rich, beautiful skin is neglected.”
Additionally, Unilever is donating $250,000 to health clinics around these communities to promote greater access to skincare for underrepresented patient populations.
The artistic effort has a symbolic purpose as it compares the damage that can occur from not maintaining and caring for skin the same way a mural can fall into disrepair over the years.
However, there is also a practical purpose in terms of revitalizing once vibrant, colorful murals in urban centers around the nation and emphasizing that with proper resources, people can do the same with their skin.
Yoni Klein, head of U.S. Skin Care at Unilever, tells MM+M that Mended Murals represents Vaseline’s latest attempt to improve skincare access for marginalized communities through a front-facing awareness campaign and a direct link to medical care.
Launched during Black History Month, Klein says Mended Murals is all about amplifying the impact Vaseline can have for a broader range of consumers, particularly people of color.
“This is a tripling down; we’re going beyond doubling down,” he says. “This is an initiative that’s so important to the heart of what this brand is. That’s not only from the history of See My Skin, but for the 150 years that [Vaseline] has existed.”
See My Skin’s ongoing mission is to crowdsource images of skin conditions from patients of color for a database independently reviewed and maintained by Vaseline’s Dermatology Review Board. The company previously stated that it is aiming to create 15 million more “equitable skincare experiences” by 2025.
As was the case when the brand’s first initiative launched in 2022, Klein says Vaseline recognizes the systemic biases that are pervasive in the dermatology space as well as the representation and access problems facing people of color. He also notes that those obstacles have major downstream effects in terms of outcomes.
Disparities in skin cancer alone disproportionately impact patients of color, with Black patients suffering from melanoma expected to have a 70% five-year survival rate compared to 94% for white patients, according to data from the American Cancer Society last year.
Klein says there is still plenty of room for improvement in terms of providing equitable, reliable and accessible skincare but adds that Mended Murals brings a heightened level of awareness to the cause by tapping into the culture as opposed to a strictly educational endeavor.
Vaseline also wants this to be a collaborative project, too, which is why the brand is inviting consumers to submit a mural from their community that they’d like to see restored by the original artist.
In addition to the restored murals in the four listed cities, Vaseline is set to have a busy start to March promoting the cause.
The brand is partnering with the multi-day event Black Future House, hosting a Mended Murals panel focused on representation and skin health equity at the South By Southwest conference and having one of its commissioned muralists on hand to engage with media.
As it relates to Mended Murals and the brand’s continuing push into the world of skin health equity, Klein’s parting advice to medical marketers centers on communicating to a diverse patient population with a message that taps into their needs.
“Professionals in this community — both within their community and then as they’re addressing patients — should take a mindset of inclusivity and try to educate, create awareness and treat skin conditions,” he says.
