L’Oréal signs British hijab-wearing blogger for hair campaign

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Jan 19, 2018

L’Oréal has become the first major beauty brand to cast a woman wearing a hijab in a haircare ad campaign.

Fronted by British beauty blogger Amena Khan, the multimedia campaign explores and celebrates the complicated relationship women have with their hair.

Khan is part of a group of British ambassadors and influencers Cheryl, Neelam Gill, Alexina Graham, Dougie Poynter, Nadine Baggott, and Lydia Millen who have joined L’Oréal in an effort to champion inclusivity and diversity.

“L’Oréal Paris UK are both proud and excited to be launching such a unique and disruptive campaign for the haircare market, a category which in previous years has been perceived as the cliché of beauty advertising,” commented Adrien Koskas, L’Oréal Paris UK general manager.

“At L’Oréal Paris we want to create campaigns that deeply connect with our consumers through spokespeople that inject sincerity, emotion and personality.”

In the images, Khan wears a pink headscarf against a hot pink background. She wrote on social media: “Lately I’ve had a complex relationship with my hair feeling lacklustre. When I take off my scarf, I want my hair to be more radiant - don’t we all?

“I’m so excited and incredibly proud to announce that I‘m part of the new L’Oreal Paris Elvive World of Care Campaign which showcases Elvive’s breadth of products catering to a wide range of demanding hair types. I’m The Pink One which has been specially formulated for dull hair to boost shine.”

The move comes as modest fashion continues to gain momentum and is supported by changing industry values towards more representation of women of different background and ethnicities.

Brands including DKNY, Mango, Tommy Hilfiger, Nike and Burberry have taken extra steps to cater to their clientele in the Middle East, while Halima Aden made history last year by being the first hijab-wearing model to grace the cover of Vogue.