WHO Foundation and L’Oréal Launch Partnership to Expand Access to Skin Health Treatment
The World Health Organization (WHO) Foundation, in collaboration with L’Oréal Groupe and its Dermatological Beauty Division, has announced the launch of a four-year partnership aimed at improving access to treatment for skin conditions globally. This partnership focuses on supporting low- and middle-income countries, addressing skin conditions linked to neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), climate change, and common skin conditions such as acne, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and vitiligo.
Addressing Global Skin Health Challenges
This innovative partnership is designed to address the pressing need for expanded access to skin health care, especially in vulnerable communities where skin conditions often go undiagnosed and untreated. Many neglected tropical diseases, such as leprosy and yaws, often manifest with visible symptoms on the skin, making early detection crucial for preventing long-term health complications and stigmatization.
Dr. Ibrahima Socé Fall, Director of the Global Neglected Tropical Diseases Programme at WHO, emphasized the importance of early diagnosis, particularly for those suffering from skin-related NTDs. “Many neglected tropical diseases first show symptoms on the skin, and early detection can be vital,” said Dr. Fall. “At this critical time, support and solidarity are needed to provide access to diagnosis and treatment so that people suffering from skin NTDs and other common skin diseases are not left behind.”
Expanding Surveillance and Training Healthcare Workers
The partnership will focus on enhancing the surveillance of skin diseases and training healthcare workers to identify the early symptoms of these conditions. This initiative aims to reduce the stigma often associated with visible skin diseases and ensure that people have access to timely treatment and care. Many individuals living with these conditions face difficulties in accessing the necessary healthcare services, often resulting in untreated diseases that lead to further medical complications.
WHO will also develop and distribute comprehensive training materials for health workers, including the WHO Skin NTDs App, to assist in the identification and treatment of skin diseases. This training will help ensure that healthcare providers, especially in underserved areas, are equipped to handle common and neglected skin conditions.
L’Oréal’s Commitment to Dermatology and Skin Health
As part of its larger commitment to improving global dermatology care, L’Oréal’s contribution to the WHO Foundation is part of its €20 million, five-year ‘Act for Dermatology’ program. This initiative aims to provide access to skin health solutions for the 2.1 billion people worldwide affected by skin diseases.
“Myriam Cohen-Welgryn, President of L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty, expressed the company’s dedication to tackling the challenges of skin health, particularly in underserved populations. “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 Cohen-Welgryn. “As leaders in dermocosmetics, we have a responsibility to take action. By working closely with dermatologists, healthcare practitioners, and global organizations like WHO, we can begin the monumental mission of ensuring skin health accessibility for everyone, everywhere, leaving no community behind.”
A Global Agenda for Skin Health
The partnership comes at a critical time when skin health is gaining increasing recognition on the global health agenda. The 78th World Health Assembly, set to take place in May 2025, is expected to discuss a resolution that prioritizes skin diseases as a global health issue. This growing attention underscores the importance of addressing skin conditions, which often have both physical and emotional impacts on individuals’ well-being.
Through this collaboration, the WHO Foundation will facilitate the coordination between WHO and L’Oréal, amplifying the need for expanded access to skin healthcare. The Foundation will also share best practices and knowledge on skin health and encourage additional partners to join the effort.
Anil Soni, CEO of the WHO Foundation, highlighted the significance of this public-private partnership: “This programme is another great example of how public and private partners can unite around a common aim. In brokering this initiative, the WHO Foundation is helping to further WHO’s mission to improve the health of vulnerable people, while also aligning with L’Oréal’s goal to raise the standard of skin health across the world.”
The Path Forward
This partnership marks a significant step forward in addressing the global burden of skin diseases. By combining WHO’s expertise in global health and L’Oréal’s leadership in dermatological beauty, the collaboration aims to make a tangible impact on the lives of millions of people worldwide. With a focus on early detection, comprehensive training, and increased access to treatment, the initiative seeks to create a world where everyone, regardless of their location or socioeconomic status, can achieve healthier skin and improved quality of life.
About the WHO Foundation
The WHO Foundation is an independent global organization working to improve health equity around the world. We connect donors with those on the frontlines of health challenges to create lasting change. The Foundation’s goal is to inspire private support and build strong partnerships that advance WHO’s mission to provide, promote and protect health for everyone. For more information, visit: https://who.foundation.
About L’Oréal Act for Dermatology
The €20 million, five-year L’Oréal Act for Dermatology fund is structured around four distinct pillars, representing targeted investments designed to close the gaps in skin health access:
- Pioneering Knowledge: Investing in cutting-edge research to deepen understanding about skin health, increase knowledge about the barriers to achieving skin health, addressing gaps in knowledge about the skin of people of color as well as understanding more about the impact of climate change on skin health and the profound effects of stigmatization linked to skin pathologies.
- Raising Awareness: Elevating skin health to the forefront of public discourse, engaging both the public and private sectors, and collaborating with NGOs to drive meaningful policy change.
- Empowering Education: Committing to train healthcare workers worldwide to diagnose and treat skin disease and investing €2 million to facilitate open access to scientific publications for low-to-middle income countries. This will ensure knowledge reaches those who need it most, while providing dermatologists with financial support to access or publish critical research.
- Scaling Solutions: Investing in a “Do Tank” to expand access to skin diagnosis and treatment, through the rapid scaling of best-in-class, locally relevant solutions. Such solutions include the rollout of high-impact, winning projects from the International Awards for Social Responsibility in Dermatology, launched in 2011 by L’Oréal and the ILDS, which paved the way to recognizing leading dermatologists across the world.
About L’Oréal
For 115 years, L’Oréal, the world’s leading beauty player, has devoted itself to one thing only: fulfilling the beauty aspirations of consumers around the world. Our purpose, to create the beauty that moves the world, defines our approach to beauty as essential, inclusive, ethical, generous and committed to social and environmental sustainability. With our broad portfolio of 37 international brands and ambitious sustainability commitments in our L’Oréal for the Future programme, we offer each and every person around the world the best in terms of quality, efficacy, safety, sincerity and responsibility, while celebrating beauty in its infinite plurality.
With more than 90,000 committed employees, a balanced geographical footprint and sales across all distribution networks (ecommerce, mass market, department stores, pharmacies, perfumeries, hair salons, branded and travel retail), in 2024 the Group generated sales amounting to 43.48 billion euros. With 21 research centers across 13 countries around the world and a dedicated Research and Innovation team of over 4,000 scientists and 8,000 Digital talents, L’Oréal is focused on inventing the future of beauty and becoming a Beauty Tech powerhouse. More information onhttps://www.loreal.com/en/mediaroom.
