The WHO Foundation and the L’Oréal Groupe, spearheaded by its Dermatological Beauty Division, are launching a four-year partnership to expand access to the treatment of skin conditions worldwide.

With a focus on low- and middle-income settings, the partnership will accelerate the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) efforts to support countries to address skin conditions such as those caused by neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), those exacerbated by climate change, and other common conditions such as acne, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and vitiligo.

Early Detection is Vital

“Many neglected tropical diseases first show symptoms on the skin, and early detection can be vital,” says Dr Ibrahima Socé Fall, Director of the Global Neglected Tropical Diseases Programme at WHO, in a news release. “At this critical time, support and solidarity are needed to provide access to diagnosis and treatment so that people suffering from skin NTDs and other common skin diseases are not left behind.”

This partnership will help to widen surveillance of skin diseases and train health workers to identify early symptoms, particularly among vulnerable communities, where many people go undiagnosed and untreated, leading to stigma and medical complications.

Over the course of the partnership, WHO will also develop training materials for health workers including the WHO Skin NTDs App, as well as provide training for health workers on common skin conditions.

Part of ‘Act for Dermatology’

L’Oréal’s contribution to the WHO Foundation forms part of its €20 million five-year ‘Act for Dermatology’ programme, aiming to expand access to skin health in support of the 2.1 billion people in the world living with skin disease.

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

The partnership is launching at a moment when skin health is on the global health agenda, and the 78th World Health Assembly in May 2025 is expected to discuss a resolution on skin diseases as a global health priority.

The WHO Foundation will facilitate and coordinate the collaboration between WHO and L’Oréal, amplify the need for enhanced access to skin healthcare, share knowledge and best practices around skin health, as well as call for additional partners to contribute to this critical work.

“This programme is another great example of how public and private partners can unite around a common aim,” adds Anil Soni, Chief Executive Officer, WHO Foundation. “In brokering this initiative, the WHO Foundation is helping to further WHO’s mission to improve the health of vulnerable people, while also aligning with L’Oréal’s goal to raise the standard of skin health across the world.”

About L’Oréal Act for Dermatology

The €20 million, five-year L’Oréal Act for Dermatology fund is structured around four distinct pillars.

Pioneering Knowledge: Investing in cutting-edge research to deepen understanding about skin health, increasing knowledge about the barriers to achieving skin health, addressing gaps in knowledge about the skin of people of color as well as understanding more about the impact of climate change on skin health and the profound effects of stigmatization 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 to drive meaningful policy change.
• 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 in a “Do Tank” 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 recognizing leading dermatologists across the world.