Tesco has become the first UK supermarket to launch plasters in a diverse range of skin tones, a move that the retailer has said could “make a genuine difference”.

The plasters come in dark, medium and light shades and will be available online and in store from Monday.

The supermarket said it developed the plasters after an employee saw a viral tweet in which a black man said he was “holding back tears” at finding a plaster that matched his skin tone after 45 years.

Tesco launches diverse range of plasters
The plasters come in dark, medium and light shades (Tesco)

Paulette Balson, chairwoman of the BAME at Tesco network, said: “One of the main objectives of our network is to help Tesco better serve our customers from all backgrounds and communities.

“No UK supermarket had ever stocked plasters in a range of skin tones before and we saw this as an opportunity for Tesco to lead the charge and make a genuine difference.

“Through our research within the network, we know how emotive a product like this can be. For example, one colleague reported that their child had felt self-conscious wearing a plaster on their face to school recently, because it didn’t match their skin tone and stood out.”