The next time you see a new ad from CVS Pharmacy, a “real woman” will be staring back at you.
The drug chain giant has launched its “Beauty in Real Life” advertising campaign that features women posing in images that have not been airbrushed.
The campaign follows CVS Pharmacy’s groundbreaking announcement earlier this year that it would no longer materially alter beauty imagery it creates for its stores, website and social media marketing materials.
The company also pledged at the time to keep customers in the loop when an image used on social media or in marketing and in-store materials has been digitally altered.
Photos in the new ad campaign feature the “CVS Beauty Mark," a watermark that designates imagery that is "authentic" and has not been altered.
"There's been a shift in what consumers want to see when it comes to beauty,” CVS Health’s Norman de Greve said in a statement released Thursday. “They are asking for more transparency and authenticity, and that's what Beauty in Real Life is all about.”
Women are not just in front of the camera in CVS Pharmacy’s ad campaign; they’re also behind the lens, too.
The company said it hired a female director, Kat Keene, for the “Beauty in Real Life” campaign after partnering with a nonprofit initiative that advocates for female directors in the advertising industry.
"The campaign was created by women, for women and highlights the ways that women use beauty within their lives, such as a woman riding the bus on the way to work, a mom getting ready for the day with her daughter watching, or real moments of shared beauty while friends get ready together for a night out," CVS said in its description of the spot directed by Keene.
The new campaign will run from April through June, according to CVS Pharmacy.
Shoutout to @CVSHealth for its #BeautyinRealLife campaign. An important step forward for marketers across the beauty, health and personal care industries. I hope others follow your lead!
— Rachel (@Ray_Kay_Jay) April 20, 2018
By 2020, brand partners will be required to use imagery that is not materially altered or will have to include a disclaimer on the imagery that labels it "digitally modified."
CVS Pharmacy has over 9,700 locations. The company made headlines in 2014 when it announced it would stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products, becoming the first national pharmacy chain to do so.
The chain has also committed to removing certain "chemicals of concern" from all store brand beauty and personal care items.
