CVS Launches "Beauty in Real Life" Campaign With Unretouched Images

CVS's beauty ads are getting a makeover — or, more accurately, a make-under. On Thursday, the retail chain kicked off its "Beauty in Real Life" campaign, which features a diverse cast of women from all over the U.S. in unretouched print and video imagery.

"They don't need to be photoshopped. There is just so much more depth and substance. It makes women just feel better," Norman de Greve, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for CVS Health, told WWD. "We want it to be aspirational for women to say, 'Hey I want to look like that,' but feel it is realistic, too. We want them to see CVS is a good partner to help them."

"Beauty in Real Life" is the biggest beauty campaign CVS has ever done, and it's worth noting that the cast, photographer, director, marketing, and beauty teams are all female. In the ads, women are seen literally using their beauty products in real life, doing things like getting ready in the morning, or putting on makeup to go out at night. The photos all feature the "CVS Beauty Mark," which is an indication that the images haven't been altered or edited.

Earlier this year, the brand announced its goal is to phase out Photoshop completely by 2020. "The connection between the propagation of unrealistic body images and negative health effects, especially in girls and young women, has been established," then–CVS Pharmacy President Helena Foulkes said at the time. "As a purpose-led company, we strive to do our best to assure all of the messages we are sending to our customers reflect our purpose of helping people on their path to better health."

Now that the campaign has launched, De Greve echoes these sentiments, telling WWD, "This is a health issue... having unrealistic expectations leads to stress in daily lives. We want to be part of the solution and encourage others to join us."

More diversity and less Photoshopping (and more drugstore-priced makeup) are definitely things worth getting on board with.

More on Photoshop:

• Kim Kardashian Shut Down Photoshop Accusations Without Saying a Word

• Target's New Swimwear Campaign Is Totally Unretouched and Utterly Gorgeous

• The Internet Thinks Calvin Klein Photoshopped Paris Jackson's Tattoos Out of Its Recent Campaign

Now, check out what's in this month's Allure Beauty Box: