Emma Watson's representative responds to 'whitening' ad row

A representative of actress Emma Watson, who was earlier accused of glamorising a skin "whitening" product, has commented on a three-year-old ad for cosmetics brand Lancome after an online magazine brought up the subject for attention.

Watson appeared as the face of the brand's Blanc Expert line in Asia from 2011 to 2013. The product is actually focussed on eliminating dark spots instead of bleaching skin, but the arguments exist somehow.

Online magazine Gal-Dem's Naomi Mabita pointed out that the actress supported the product "designed to make us feel like our skin is a problem that we can pay for them to solve".

However, Watson's representative wants to keep her image clean.

"Many artists often have limited control of how their image is used once an endorsement contract is signed," the representative said.

"I cannot comment on my client's previous contractual arrangements with Lancome. However, my client no longer participates in advertising beauty products, which do not always reflect the diverse beauty of all women," the statement added.

Earlier, social media users also slammed Watson, who is known as a women empowerment and equal rights advocate.