L’Oréal Groupe has launched L’Oréal Act for Dermatology, a five-year skin health programme, under its Dermatological Beauty Division.
The €20m fund will see the beauty giant partner with the WHO Foundation to support the World Health Organization (WHO’s) efforts to combat common skin diseases, as well as those caused by neglected tropical diseases.
“L’Oréal Act for Dermatology represents our unwavering commitment to helping improve the lives of billions of people suffering from the physical, mental and emotional burden of skin diseases, by addressing the challenges they face in accessing skin health services for their condition,” said L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty President Myriam Cohen-Welgryn.
“As leaders in dermocosmetics, we have a responsibility to take action.
“By working closely with dermatologists and healthcare practitioners, scientific bodies and global organisations like WHO, we can begin the monumental mission of ensuring skin health accessibility for everyone, everywhere, leaving no community behind.”
The programme’s launch follows the first study by the group’s dermatology division in partnership with the International League of Dermatological Societies (ILDS).
The ongoing, 194-country Global Access to Skin Health Observatory study launched in October last year, with published results expected in 2025.
It revealed that more than a third of countries have one dermatologist or fewer per 100,000 people.
The L’Oréal Paris and Lancôme owner’s €20m fund targets four pillars to close the gaps in skin health access.
It will invest in research to deepen understanding of skin health and the main barriers to skin health access, as well as raising awareness in both the public and private sectors.
An investment of €2m of the full sum will go towards facilitating open access to scientific publications for low-to-middle income countries with the aim of training healthcare workers worldwide to diagnose and treat skin disease.
Finally, it will invest in a ‘do tank’ to expand access to skin diagnosis and treatment.
The partnership with the WHO Foundation will, for the first time, enable the global surveillance of skin health, said L’Oréal.
This surveillance encompasses common skin diseases such as acne, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis and vitiligo, as well as skin-related neglected tropical diseases.
“This is a fantastic collaborative project which addresses an under-resourced area of health,” added Anil Soni, CEO of the WHO Foundation.
“A shortage of trained specialists has added to the burden experienced by people across the world – one this project seeks to address through dermatological training, health worker education and awareness raising, among others.
“I am particularly pleased that this initiative cements the relationship between the WHO Foundation and L’Oréal, which brings such expertise and passion to the partnership.”
The news comes amid rising recognition of skin health on the global health agenda, with the 78th World Health Assembly in May 2025 expected to discuss a resolution on skin diseases as a global public health priority.
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