PERSONAL CARE BRAND Dove has issued an apology for a Facebook advertising campaign that had been branded “racist”.

The advert appeared to show a black woman turning white after using their soap.

It shows the black woman peeling off her t-shirt and revealing a white woman underneath her skin.

Another image shows a white woman becoming an Asian woman in a similar process.

In a post on its Twitter page, Dove said: “An image we recently posted on Facebook missed the mark in representing women of colour thoughtfully.

We deeply regret the offence it caused.

An image we recently posted on Facebook missed the mark in representing women of color thoughtfully. We deeply regret the offense it caused. — Dove (@Dove) October 7, 2017 Source: Dove /Twitter

The advert was removed, but not before American makeup artist Nay the mua took screenshots and posted them to her followers.

She said: “So I’m scrolling through Facebook and this is the #dove ad that comes up… ok so what am I looking at…”

She added that the campaign was indicative of the kinds of racial messages that black people are given about the colour of their skin in the US.

In a direct response to her comments, Dove responded: “The content featured demonstrates the benefits of our Dove body wash for every type of skin… We are committed to representing beauty of all ages, ethnicities, shapes and sizes.”

The advert also drew widespread condemnation on social media.

Dove has drawn criticism for its adverts before with a 2011 advert that placed three women on a colour gradient, with the lightest woman suggested as the best result.