Tesco has launched a range of plasters available in different skin tones - this is why it’s making waves

These are the new plasters from Tesco (Photo: Tesco)These are the new plasters from Tesco (Photo: Tesco)
These are the new plasters from Tesco (Photo: Tesco)

Following a viral tweet last year from a man getting emotional about finding a plaster that blends into his skin tone, Tesco has released a new range of plasters available in a variety of colours.

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This is everything you need to know about the new, diverse range of plasters from Tesco.

New plasters

Tesco has launched a range of plasters with three different skin tones in a move thought to be the first of its kind by a major UK supermarket.

The plasters come in dark, medium and light shades, designed to reflect a range of skin tones. They are available in store and online to buy today.

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Why the different colours?

Tesco has said that it developed the plasters after one of their employees spotted a now viral tweet in which a man from California outlined his experience of using a plaster which matched his skin tone.

The first tweet in the thread read, “It’s taken me 45 trips around the sun, but for the first time in my life I know what it feels like to have a “band-aid” in my own skin tone. You can barely even spot it in the first image. For real I’m holding back tears.”

The tweet gained over 538k likes and 102k retweets, with others prompted to share their own experiences.

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One tweet said, “This was one of the first things that made me aware of “race” when I was a kid. I remember asking my mom about the bandaid color… Also the “flesh” crayon.”

Star Wars star John Boyega also replied to the tweet, writing, “Yep! On film sets where we get cuts a lot, makeup artists have to paint it brown to get you picture ready.”

Paulette Balson, chairwoman of the BAME at Tesco network, said, “One of the main objectives of our network is to help Tesco better serve our customers from all backgrounds and communities.”

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First of its kind?

Balson said, “No UK supermarket had ever stocked plasters in a range of skin tones before and we saw this as an opportunity for Tesco to lead the charge and make a genuine difference. Through our research within the network, we know how emotive a product like this can be.

“For example, one colleague reported that their child had felt self-conscious wearing a plaster on their face to school recently, because it didn’t match their skin tone and stood out.”

Nicola Robinson, Tesco’s director of health, wellbeing and beauty, said, “As one of the largest retailers in the UK, we also understand that we have a responsibility to ensure our products reflect the diversity of our customers and colleagues.

“We believe the launch of our new skin tone plaster range is an important step and a move that we hope will be replicated by other retailers and supermarkets across the country.”

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