L’Oréal’s “Act for Dermatology” is a €20 million, five-year program designed to improve access to skin health services globally, addressing the needs of 2.1 billion people affected by skin diseases. In collaboration with the WHO Foundation, the initiative aims to tackle both common and neglected tropical skin conditions. It also highlights the stark global disparities in dermatological care, as revealed by the Global Access to Skin Health Observatory, which shows that over a third of countries have one or fewer dermatologists per 100,000 people. Through partnerships with dermatologists, healthcare professionals, and organizations, L’Oréal seeks to provide education, advocacy, and solutions to alleviate the physical, emotional, and mental impacts of skin diseases.

The L’Oréal fund targets four pillars to close the gaps in skin health access.

It will invest in research to deepen understanding of skin health and the main barriers to skin health access, raising awareness in both  public and private sectors , an investment towards facilitating open access to scientific publications for low-to-middle income countries with the aim of training healthcare workers worldwide to diagnose and treat skin disease. Finally, it will invest in a ‘do tank’ to expand access to skin diagnosis and treatment.

The partnership with the WHO Foundation will enable the global surveillance of skin health. This surveillance encompasses common skin diseases such as acne, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis and vitiligo, as well as skin-related neglected tropical diseases.