L'Oréal Group Announces "L'Oréal Act for Dermatology" Program

L'Oréal Group announces "L'Oréal Act for Dermatology" program, launched under the leadership of its Dermatological Beauty Division.

L'Oréal aims to support 2.1 billion people worldwide living with skin diseases and democratize access to skin health through this program, which will run for five years with a budget of EUR 20 million. Within the program scope, a historic partnership was established between L'Oréal Group and the World Health Organization (WHO). This collaboration will support WHO's efforts to combat common skin diseases as well as skin conditions caused by neglected tropical diseases, and will raise awareness about the global impact of skin diseases.

'Skin health access for everyone, everywhere'
Myriam Cohen-Welgryn, Head of L'Oréal Dermatological Beauty Division, commented on the partnership: "L'Oréal Act for Dermatology represents our commitment to improving the lives of billions of people who face difficulties in accessing skin health services, bearing the physical, mental and emotional burden of skin diseases. As a leader in the dermocosmetics field, we have a responsibility to act. Working in close collaboration with dermatologists, health workers, scientific institutions and global organizations like the World Health Organization, we are undertaking the mission to ensure skin health access for everyone, everywhere. We aim to achieve this goal inclusively, leaving no society behind."

'Dermatology deserts': A global crisis
The initial results of the Global Skin Health Access Observatory study, launched in partnership between L'Oréal Dermatological Beauty Division (LDB) and the International League of Dermatological Societies (ILDS), present striking data from 194 countries. According to the research, in more than one-third of countries, there is one or fewer dermatologist per 100,000 people. These findings mean that at least 3.5 billion people live in "dermatology deserts" where access to skin health services is severely restricted. The study, launched in October 2024, examines the global distribution of dermatologists, barriers faced by patients, and access to alternative skin health services in these "dermatology deserts". Results are expected to be published in 2025.

'Urgent call for action on skin health access'
Esther Freeman, Director of Global Health Dermatology at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Vice President of ILDS International Dermatology Foundation (IFD) and Principal Investigator of the Skin Observatory, summarized the situation: "We are facing a crisis in access to health services for people with skin diseases. The shortage of dermatologists and trained health workers creates 'dermatology deserts', leaving millions of people without diagnosis and treatment of their skin diseases. This can lead to serious and even life-threatening consequences. We face an urgent call for action. We must empower health workers and collaborate with governments to place skin health on the global agenda."

Overcoming Barriers to Skin Health Access
The five-year L'Oréal Act for Dermatology fund, with a budget of EUR 20 million, focuses on four core strategies to close gaps in skin health access:
•    Prioritizing Knowledge: Investment in advanced research on barriers to skin health access, knowledge gaps regarding skin of color, impacts of climate change, and stigma associated with skin diseases.
•    Raising Awareness: Aiming to place skin health on the public agenda, mobilize the public and private sectors, and promote policy changes through collaboration with NGOs.
•    Strengthening Education: Supporting education programs enabling health workers worldwide to diagnose and treat skin diseases. Additionally, an investment of EUR 2 million is being made to support access to scientific publications in low and middle-income countries.
•    Scaling Solutions: Investing in an "Action Tank" to expand region-appropriate best practices. Under this scope, high-impact projects resulting from the International Awards for Social Responsibility in Dermatology, launched by L'Oréal and ILDS in 2011, will be implemented.

WHO x L'Oréal Dermatological Beauty (LDB)
This significant partnership between LDB and WHO will provide global oversight of common skin diseases such as acne, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis and vitiligo, as well as skin-related neglected tropical diseases (skin NTDs). This collaboration will substantially expand WHO's capacity to combat these critical health issues.  

This partnership is of great importance at a time when skin health is increasingly coming to the forefront of the global health agenda. At the 78th World Health Assembly to be held in May 2025, skin diseases are expected to be addressed as a global public health priority.