MAM
Pond’s launches ‘Sun Portraits’ campaign using UV-sensitive Rajasthani art
Skincare brand turns traditional Phad paintings into living reminders of sun damage in Phalodi, Rajasthan.
MUMBAI: Pond’s has painted a striking new picture of sun protection, one that literally fades before your eyes. The leading skincare brand has unveiled ‘Sun Portraits’, a powerful campaign set in Phalodi, Rajasthan, where summer temperatures regularly soar to 51°C. In collaboration with local Phad artists, Pond’s commissioned life-size portraits of women from the region, painted directly onto the walls of their own homes using UV-sensitive paint.
As the harsh desert sun beats down day after day, the portraits visibly deteriorate fading, blemishing, and discolouring in real time mirroring the damaging effects of prolonged UV exposure on human skin. The evolving artwork serves as a daily, tangible reminder that sun protection is not optional.
Rather than relying on statistics or conventional advertising, the campaign embeds its message into something deeply personal and cultural: the women’s homes, their art, and their everyday routines. This community-driven approach transforms awareness into lived experience.
Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) vice president for Skincare Pratik Ved said, “Sun Portraits is a reflection of our belief that true impact lies not in telling people what to do, but in helping them experience why it matters. By transforming an invisible risk into a visible and evolving piece of art within their own homes, we’ve made sun protection both personal and immediate.”
Ogilvy senior executive creative director & creative head for beauty & luxury (West) Tanuja Bhat added, “In heartland India, narratives are etched in culture, art and tradition. We decided to use that language to create Sun Portraits, an awareness campaign that brings out the sun’s impact on skin in a simple yet powerful way.”
The campaign arrives at a time when purpose-driven creativity is gaining ground in Indian advertising. By blending cultural relevance with a strong human insight, Pond’s has created more than just an ad, it has turned homes into living canvases that quietly urge women to protect their skin every single day.
In the scorching heat of Rajasthan, Pond’s has found a brilliant way to make an invisible enemy visible proving that sometimes the most effective skincare message isn’t spoken, but slowly painted by the sun itself.
Brands
Estée Lauder to shed 10,000 jobs as new boss bets on digital shift
The cosmetics giant raises its profit outlook but stays silent on a possible merger with Spain’s Puig, as job cuts deepen and a three-year sales slump weighs on the turnaround
NEW YORK: Stéphane de La Faverie is not done cutting. Estée Lauder announced on Friday that it plans to eliminate as many as 3,000 additional jobs, taking its total redundancy programme to as many as 10,000 roles, up from a previous target of 7,000 announced a year ago. The company, which owns La Mer, The Ordinary, Tom Ford, and Aveda, employs roughly 57,000 people worldwide. The mathematics of what is now being contemplated is stark.
The fresh round of cuts is expected to generate a further $200 million in savings, bringing the total annual savings from the programme to as much as $1.2 billion before taxes. That money, De La Faverie has made clear, will be ploughed back into the turnaround.
A CEO in a hurry
De La Faverie, who took the helm in January 2025, inherited a company that had endured three consecutive years of annual sales declines. His response has been to move fast and cut deep. A significant portion of the latest redundancies reflects his push to reduce headcount at US department stores, long a cornerstone of Estée Lauder’s distribution model but now a channel in structural decline. In their place, he is accelerating the shift toward faster-growing online platforms, including Amazon.com and TikTok Shop, a pivot that is reshaping not just where Estée Lauder sells but how it thinks about its customers.
The numbers are moving in the right direction
Despite the pain, there are signs the medicine is working. Estée Lauder raised its profit outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year, guiding for adjusted earnings per share in the range of $2.35 to $2.45, above analyst estimates and a notable step up from the $2.05 to $2.25 range it had guided for in February. Organic net sales growth is expected to come in at 3 per cent, the company said, at the high end of the range it set out in February.
The share price tells a mixed story. After De La Faverie took charge, the stock surged nearly 60 per cent, buoyed by investor optimism that a longtime company insider could finally arrest the decline. But 2026 has been rougher: the shares have fallen 27 per cent this year, weighed down by disappointing February results and the overhang of unresolved merger talks with Spanish beauty giant Puig Brands SA. The company gave no additional details about those discussions on Friday, leaving the market to guess.
Silence on Puig
The proposed tie-up with Puig remains the most consequential unknown hanging over Estée Lauder. A deal with the Barcelona-based group, which owns brands including Carolina Herrera and Rabanne, would reshape the global luxury beauty landscape. But with nothing new to say and a turnaround still very much in progress, De La Faverie is asking investors to trust the process.
Three years of sales declines, 10,000 job cuts, and a merger that may or may not happen. At Estée Lauder, the overhaul has barely started.
