CVS, Walgreens will no longer lock beauty products for women of color in cases

Drugstore giants Walgreens and CVS announced Thursday they would no longer place beauty and hair products for women of color inside locked cases.

“We are currently ensuring multicultural hair care and beauty products are not stored behind locked cases at any of our stores,” Walgreens told the Associated Press in an email Thursday.

CVS told the Guardian in a statement, “hair, beauty or personal care products for communities of color” would no longer be kept in locked shelves, after reviewing the former security policy adjacent to the company’s “firm nondiscrimination policy.”

The company also said it had grown its inventory of “textured hair and color categories” by 35 percent, pledging to bring in more stock of black-owned and founded brands.

The new measures from Walgreens and CVS mirror Walmart’s decision to remove multicultural personal care products from behind locked-glass doors earlier this week.

The company previously allowed stores to lock away products that were considered more likely to be stolen than others.

Walmart had maintained the practice of keeping certain personal care products behind cases at the discretion of the individual managements from its stores across the country and was even challenged in a 2018 lawsuit over the store’s policy.

The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on Memorial Day last month at the hands of police sparked protests about racial injustices and police brutality in the nation, leading many large corporations and organizations to take action responding to criticisms of racial insensitivity.

NASCAR announced Wednesday it would ban the display of the Confederate flag at racing events.

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred addressed recent events in the country during Wednesday evening’s draft pick announcements, saying that baseball “can do more as an institution” to fight systemic racism.  

Several MLB club owners announced donations to organizations such as Color of Change, Campaign Zero, and other groups seeking to fight racial injustice.