Abstract

Across many industries, reputation management has been a top priority, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ongoing issues surrounding gender, race, and ethnicity. The beauty and cosmetic industry, for example, continues to face several challenges involving diversity and representation in product development and advertising. This is a study of the beauty and cosmetic industry and how corporate reputation is shaped by representation in advertising and product development. This research demonstrates select ways how brands have marketed their products throughout history by retrieving print advertisements from archives and social media. Changes in representation of gender, age, skin tone, skin type, and ideas of femininity and masculinity are all seen in the historic examples of cosmetic advertising. Therefore, it is critical that beauty companies be inclusive as they continue to set standards of how diverse groups perceive and value themselves.