L'Oreal, the world's biggest cosmetics company, will remove words referencing "white", "fair" and "light" from its skin-evening products, a spokeswoman said on Friday, a day after Unilever made a similar announcement in the face of growing social media criticism.

Unilever and L'Oreal are two big players in the global market for skin whitening creams used in many Asian, African and Caribbean countries, where fair skin is often considered desirable. Unilever, in particular, came under fire for its Fair & Lovely brand at a time of worldwide focus on racial injustice following weeks of protests sparked by the May death of George Floyd, a Black man, in police custody in the United States.