L’Oréal Groupe Launches €20 Million “Act For Dermatology” Programme

L’Oréal Groupe today announces the L’Oréal Act for Dermatology, a €20 million, five-year programme spearheaded by its Dermatological Beauty Division. The programme aims to democratise access to skin health to support the 2.1 billion1 people in the world living with skin disease. As part of the programme, the Groupe is embarking on a partnership with the WHO Foundation, to support the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) efforts to combat common skin diseases and contribute to increasing awareness of the impact of skin diseases globally. 

“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 organisations like the WHO, we can begin the monumental mission of ensuring skin health accessibility for everyone, everywhere - leaving no community behind.”  

In the United Kingdom, a substantial number of dermatology patients experience mental health challenges due to their skin conditions. A report2 by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Skin found that 98% of skin disease patients feel their condition affects their emotional and psychological well-being. Additionally, 93% reported a negative impact on their self-esteem and 5% had experienced suicidal thoughts.   

‘Dermatological Deserts’: A Growing Crisis  

Preliminary results from the 194-country Global Access to Skin Health Observatory, a first-ever study3 initiated by L'Oréal Dermatological Beauty (LDB) in partnership with the International League of Dermatological Societies (ILDS), reveal staggering insights. Over a third of countries have one dermatologist or fewer per 100,000 people. This means that at least 3.5 billion people are living in a place with severely limited access to skin health services. The study was launched in October 2024 to investigate the global distribution of dermatologists, patient barriers to accessing dermatologic care in each country, and access to 'surrogate' skin health providers in ‘dermatological deserts’. The study is currently ongoing, with published results expected in 2025. 

“Accessing dermatological care is influenced by factors such as service availability, waiting times, and the choice between public and private healthcare options. Disparities in access to dermatologic care are influenced by socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and geographic location,” said Dr. Claire Fuller, MD, London Bridge Medical Hospital and Executive Board Member, International League of Dermatological Societies. “In general, high demand for dermatology services often leads to extended waiting periods, which are already just under 14 weeks4 on average for patients in England.” 

Closing Skin Health Access Gaps 

The €20 million, five-year L’Oréal Act for Dermatology fund is structured around four pillars and is designed to close the gaps in skin health access: 

  • Pioneering Knowledge: Investing in cutting-edge research to deepen understanding of skin health, including the main barriers to skin health access, knowledge gaps for skin of colour, the impact of climate change, and the profound effects of stigmatisation 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. 

  • 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 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 recognising leading dermatologists across the world. 

WHO Foundation and LDB  

This landmark partnership between LDB and the WHO Foundation will, for the first time, enable a global review and assessment of skin health, including common skin diseases such as acne, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis and vitiligo, as well as skin-related neglected tropical diseases (skin NTDs), significantly broadening WHO's capacity to monitor and combat these critical health challenges. The partnership comes at a pivotal moment when skin health is gaining recognition on the global health agenda, with the 78th World Health Assembly (May 2025) expected to discuss a resolution on skin diseases as a global public health priority. 

“The WHO Foundation brings together funders and high-impact health initiatives to support the mission of the World Health Organization,” said Anil Soni, CEO of the WHO Foundation. “This a fantastic, collaborative project which addresses an under-resourced area of health. A shortage of trained specialists has added to the burden experienced by people across the world; one this project seeks to address through dermatological training, health worker education and awareness raising, among others. I’m particularly pleased that this initiative cements the relationship between the WHO Foundation and L’Oréal, which brings such expertise and passion to the partnership.” 

For more information on the Global Skin Health Observatory, please visit https://skinobservatory.org/. 

Natalia Kulak