Our Brand Purpose
Dove is committed to creating a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety. We want to inspire all women to reach their full potential by caring for themselves and each other.
We've always championed women and will continue to use ad campaigns as an opportunity to redefine beauty, challenge stereotypes and celebrate what makes women unique. To reinstate this commitment to championing real beauty, and coinciding with the Dove 60th anniversary, we launched our Real Beauty Pledge. We made three vows to uphold for women everywhere, that we carry today:
1) We always feature real women, never models
2) We portray women as they are in real life
3) We help build girls' body confidence and self-esteem
And since then, we're always looking for new opportunities and ways to stand up for the women we care for.
In 2019, we co-funded the CROWN Coalition to advance anti-hair discrimination legislation called The CROWN Act.
Our No Digital Distortion Mark is a continuation of our Real Beauty Pledge. This is our promise to always show women as you'd see them in real life. We vow to never show manipulated, unachievable images of 'perfect' beauty created by digital distortion. No alterations to body shape or size, just 100% real beauty.
In 2019 and 2020 Dove partnered with Getty Images and Girl Gaze to create an image bank to shatter all beauty stereotypes. The bank features women and non-binary individuals from all over the world including many from South Africa.
The project #ShowUs holds over 10,000 stock images to offer a more inclusive vision of beauty for all media and advertisers to use.
In 2020, Dove in South Africa seeded Dove women in casting videos, placing real women in front of advertising directors, asking them to give real women a chance. Several companies have since chosen our diverse beautiful women to feature in adverts thereby helping to shatter the previously seen stereotypical beauty.
In 2021 Dove launched the Reverse Selfie film, which draws attention to the damage of social media filters and the way that these seemingly innocent filters can be detrimental to self esteem. A study done with South African girls revealed that 83% of young girls in our country have used an app or a filer by the age of 13. This is a higher percentage than the global average – revealing that social media can play a huge role in shaping, breaking or building self esteem.
The Dove film exposes the editing changes that take place and how sometimes girls might not even look like themselves post the editing process.
80% of the young girls surveyed believed that brands and influencers could play a role by not editing images themselves and standing up against distortion.
The Dove confidence kit can be found on the Dove Website and can help teachers, parents and mentors to make a real difference in young people's awareness of social media pressures and help them to navigate social media safely and confidently.
We started the Dove Self-Esteem Project (DSEP) back in 2004 for the next generation. We wanted to help young people experience a positive relationship with the way they look, and help them reach their full potential; improving their body confidence and ultimately their self-esteem.
We’ve partnered with leading experts in the fields of psychology, health and body image to create a programme of evidence-based resources for parents, mentors and youth leaders to help young people form healthy friendships, overcome body image issues and be their best selves. We’ve already reached over 60 million young people in 142 countries. And we won’t stop there. Our global mission is to reach 1/4 billion by 2030.
In South Africa we have also started a partnership with the Department of Basic Education to further our impact in schools and make a real difference to the lives of young South Africans. Want to find out more? Head to the Dove Self-Esteem Project.
We're working towards a Positive Beauty vision – and as part of that vision, we said goodbye to the word 'normal'. Alongside our parent company, Unilever, we've removed all mentions from our website, product labels, social media, and campaigns. While we know that removing the word 'normal' alone will not completely fix the problem, we believe it is an important step towards a more inclusive definition of beauty.
To develop our wide-ranging actions, we used learnings from a review of all our marketing campaigns and products. We know we haven’t always got it right in our marketing, and we are committed to learn from this and transform our business for the better.
Find out more about the Unilever mission.
We use advertising and marketing as a way to tell you about everything from our latest innovations to important issues: whether that's what’s in our products, recommending how you should use them, or helping us change society for the better.
Take the Dove Real Beauty campaign – we challenged appearance-based stereotypes to create a more inclusive vision of beauty. As a continuation of this Real Beauty Pledge, our No Digital Distortion Mark is our commitment to always show women as you'd see them in real life. The images you see on our website or social media channels will never be manipulated, unachievable images of 'perfect' beauty created using digital distortion. No alterations to body shape or size, just 100% real beauty.
We've also been working on The CROWN Act, working to eradicate race-based hair discrimination in several countries across the world.
As they say, with great power comes great responsibility – and this power of marketing communications demands our care. We have signed up to (and helped to define) global standards for the industry, centred on the promise that our advertising and marketing will always be 'legal, decent, honest and truthful'. Independently, we have also made landmark decisions about our own practices. For instance, we never use models in our advertising – only everyday women, sharing their everyday lives with us.
We are committed to widening the definition of beauty. This is why we don't cast professional models in our campaigns – to us, they often represent a narrow view of beauty and while all women are beautiful we don't want to be part of the perpetuation of stereotypes.
Dove has always championed women and will continue to use ad campaigns as an opportunity to redefine beauty, challenge stereotypes and celebrate what makes women unique. To reinstate this commitment to championing real beauty, and to coincide with the Dove 60th anniversary, we launched the Dove Real Beauty Pledge, onsisting of three vows to uphold for women everywhere:
1) We always feature women, never models
2) We portray women as they are in real life
3) We help build girls' body confidence and self-esteem
Our No Digital Distortion Mark is a continuation of our pledge, as our promise to always show women as you'd see them in real life. The images we share will never be manipulated, unachievable images of 'perfect' beauty created by digital distortion.
We are committed to creating a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety. We want to inspire all women and non-binary individuals through sharing real stories – and we're honoured to hear you'd like to be a part of that. Get in touch: have a look at our full contact information or DM us on Instagram.
Sustainability Commitments
Globally, Dove does not test on animals and is certified Cruelty-Free by PETA. We use non-animal approaches to assess the safety of our products and ingredients. Dove has enacted a policy prohibiting any animal tests, anywhere in the world.
Learn more about our work on and commitment to non-animal testing approaches.
Globally, Dove does not test on animals and is certified Cruelty-Free by PETA. We use non-animal approaches to assess the safety of our products and ingredients. Dove has enacted a policy prohibiting any animal tests, anywhere in the world.
Our products proudly display the PETA Cruelty-Free logo, so you can instantly know which products have been produced without animal testing of any kind.
Learn more our work on and commitment to non-animal testing approaches.
PETA is the largest animal rights organisation in the world, with more than 6.5 million members and supporters. We know consumers trust their Beauty without Bunnies programme, and their iconic Cruelty-Free logo instantly shows you which products have been produced without animal testing of any kind.
Palm oil is a really important issue for us and our parent company, who've been at the forefront of driving industry-wide change for more than 15 years. This is why we choose to use sustainable palm oil in our products.
When products, industries and livelihoods depend on the use of palm oil, it's essential that we source responsibly to tackle the issue of deforestation. That's why we're working towards 100% physically-certified sustainable palm oil.
If you want to know if your favourite Dove product contains any derivatives of palm oil, you can find full ingredients lists on every product page.
Supporting independent palm oil farmers
Need more information? Find out how you can contact us
We want to help you recycle as much of our packaging as possible so we can use it again. That's why all Dove bottles are fully recyclable. Every Dove bottle has an icon on the front so that you can be sure that the bottle is 100% recycled and recyclable. Depending on local recycling facilities being available. Find out more about our commitment to cutting plastic waste.
We're proud to say Dove bottles are made using 100% recycled plastic. We are committed to a landmark new initiative as part of our 2025 commitment to reduce plastic waste – reducing the manufacture of more than 20,500 tonnes of virgin plastic per year. You can find a recycling symbol on the back label or bottle of all of our products.
Find out more about our commitment to cutting plastic waste.
As one of the world’s biggest beauty brands, our actions to tackle the growing issue of plastic waste make a huge impact. Based on information publicly available, we can confidently say that our ongoing initiatives form the largest known reduction plan of its kind in the global beauty industry – and we hope these actions inspire others to do the same.
As well as using 100% recycled plastic to make our bottles, our iconic beauty bar single packs will soon be plastic-free. Development is also underway to replace the plastic outer-wrap of our beauty bar multipacks with a zero-plastic material.
This is a really important question for the beauty industry today. We love our exfoliation, but not at the expense of our beautiful oceans. To protect them – and us – from micro-plastics, we stopped using plastic scrub beads in our exfoliating products back in 2014. Now we use ingredients that give your skin the exfoliation you need, without threatening our environment. We work with several bioplastics suppliers to explore new technologies and next-generation materials which are sustainably sourced. Find out more about the changes we've made.
About Our Products
Whether you can't find your favourite product in-store or prefer to shop from home, you can find out which products are available online from the comfort of your couch. Simply search for your product, choose the size you want (if needed), and then click 'Shop now' to find out where you can get your favourite product online. Dove is available on all main shopping sites and platforms.
We currently don't have information on the availability of products outside South Africa.
If you can't find your product online, we're sorry to be the ones to tell you... it might have sold out. Don't worry! It will be back soon. And we are also always working on new formulas and, if you take a look around, you might find a new and improved replacement for your beauty routine.
You can find Dove products in South Africa leading supermarkets, pharmacies and most of your favourite shops. To find out where a product is available, head to your favourites stores product page and in the search bar type in Dove, to see a list of Dove products that they stock (we don't currently have information for you on the availability of products outside South Africa).
If you can't find your product in-store or online, we hate to be the ones to tell you... it might have sold out. And every now and again we do discontinue options that people don't seem to love as much as others. But don't worry! We're always working on new formulas and trying to bring more popular fragrances and variants to you. If you take a look around, you might find a new and improved replacement for your beauty routine.
Jetting off? Dove travel-size products are available on a limited basis, but some of our products are perfect for travel at their full size. For more information on where to find travel-specific sizes, we recommend asking in-store (wherever you get your Dove products). You should be able to find a small Dove Body Wash, and mini shampoo and conditioner, and the Dove bar is always travel ready.
Also, remember to send an email with an image of your travel-sized versions of Dove products.
We've made a whole host of Dove bars, shampoos, conditioners, body washes, body lotions, hand creams, roll ons and antiperspirant deodorant sprays. Plus, new Dove facial cleansing foam and Dove shower mousse – you can explore them all here. Simply type in your product in the search bar. Alternatively head on over to your favourite stores online page and search there – Clicks and Dischem have a great selection of the Dove range too.
Great choice. Whether new innovations or timeless classics, our body washes are firm favourites for a reason. Explore our full range of beauty bars and body washes. Did you know that the body wash cleanses like a bar and moisturises like a cream – Softer Smoother skin after just one shower. Go ahead and try it!
Can't find the product you're looking for? We might have bad news... it might be so popular that it has sold out, or perhaps we have discontinued your favourite. But we always provide an alternative. Don't worry though, we're always working on new and improved formulas – and we're 99% sure you'll find a new favourite.
You're one step away from our complete Dove Hair Care collection. Can't find the product you're looking for? Don't worry, we're always working on new and improved formulas, so your next favourite Dove product might be waiting to be discovered.
Hello touchably soft, beautiful skin. Enter body lotion heaven. We've got plenty more products to care for your skin too, see our full skin care range. Can't find your go-to body lotion? We're always working on new and improved formulas. Whether you're after long-lasting nourishment or an indulgent scent, we hope you'll find your next favourite.