WHO Foundation and L’Oréal Groupe Unite to Improve Skin Health Worldwide

GENEVA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The WHO Foundation and the L’Oréal Groupe, spearheaded by its Dermatological Beauty Division, are set to launch a four-year partnership to expand access to the treatment of skin conditions worldwide. With a focus on low- and middle-income settings, the partnership will accelerate the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) efforts to support countries to address skin conditions such as those caused by neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), those exacerbated by climate change and other common conditions such as acne, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis and vitiligo.

“Many neglected tropical diseases first show symptoms on the skin, and early detection can be vital,” said Dr Ibrahima Socé Fall, Director of the Global Neglected Tropical Diseases Programme at WHO. “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.”

This partnership will help to widen surveillance of skin diseases and train health workers to identify early symptoms, particularly among vulnerable communities, where many people go undiagnosed and untreated leading to stigma and medical complications.

Over the course of the partnership, WHO will also develop training materials for health workers including the WHO Skin NTDs App, as well as provide training for health workers on common skin conditions.

L’Oréal’s contribution to the WHO Foundation forms part of its €20 million five-year ‘Act for Dermatology’ programme, aiming to expand access to skin health in support of the 2.1 billion people in the world living with skin disease.

“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 Myriam Cohen-Welgryn, President, L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty. “As leaders in dermocosmetics, we have a responsibility to take action. By working closely with dermatologists and healthcare practitioners, scientific bodies and global organizations like WHO, we can begin the monumental mission of ensuring skin health accessibility for everyone, everywhere, leaving no community behind.”

The partnership is launching at a moment when skin health is on the global health agenda and the 78th World Health Assembly in May 2025 is expected to discuss a resolution on skin diseases as a global health priority.

The WHO Foundation will facilitate and coordinate the collaboration between WHO and L’Oréal, amplify the need for enhanced access to skin healthcare, share knowledge and best practices around skin health as well as call for additional partners to contribute to this critical work. Anil Soni, Chief Executive Officer, WHO Foundation said: “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.”

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 on https://www.loreal.com/en/mediaroom.

For more information on WHO’s work in skin-related neglected, tropical diseases see: Ending The Neglect To Attain The Sustainable Development Goals: A Strategic Framework For Integrated Control And Management Of Skin-Related Neglected Tropical Diseases.