Beauty industry goes beyond skin-deep to champion charity

EVERY woman knows the feel-good factor of lipstick, but beauty companies are looking to pamper customers in a deeper, more meaningful way.

Benefit Cosmetics Global Beauty Authority, Annie Ford Danielson, at The Butler, where she announced the Bold is Beautiful Project

EVERY woman knows the feel-good factor of lipstick, but beauty companies are looking to pamper customers in a deeper, more meaningful way.

“We’re about empowering women to feel better about themselves,” says Annie Ford Danielson, Global Beauty Authority of Benefit Cosmetics. “It felt almost criminal not to go into philanthropy.”

Ford Danielson, the daughter of Jean Ford — who, with her twin sister Jane, launched Benefit in 1976 — was in Sydney this week to unveil the Bold is Beautiful Project.

For every month of May, Benefit will donate $10 from all brow services booked at a Myer counter. Proceeds will be split equally between three local charities that aim to educate women in numerous ways: Look Good … Feel Better, SISTER2sister and Fitted for Work.

Look Good … Feel Better is a beauty workshop for cancer patients struggling with the appearance-related side effects of treatment; SISTER2sister organises long-term mentoring for disadvantaged girls; and, Fitted for Work prepares and grooms unemployed women for job interviews.

This year, the Project will also run in the United States, United Kingdom and France, with the goal of raising US$2 million for various causes. “By 2020, we want all of our 44 markets to participate,” says Ford Danielson. “That’s a lot of possibility.”

We will continue our Breast Cancer Awareness campaign until every person diagnosed is a breast cancer survivor.

Priceline Pharmacy similarly supports a spectrum of women’s wellbeing charities with its Sisterhood Foundation, which has tallied up almost $1.2 million since its 2011 launch, thanks to a number of activities and in-store events.

The initiative was inspired by Sir Bob Geldof, who spoke about giving back to the community at a Priceline Pharmacy conference in 2010.

“The Sisterhood Foundation is … at the heart of what we do as a business,” says Stephen Roche, CEO of parent company API. “Most of our stores are now pharmacies [and] as healthcare providers, our pharmacists see the Sisterhood as a natural extension of what they do every day.”

Many beauty brands choose to support one key cause for maximum impact. The Estée Lauder Companies, for instance, has run its Breast Cancer Awareness campaign since 1992; the late Evelyn Lauder co-created the famous pink ribbon symbol.

In Australia, the campaign encompasses various programs. One is the company’s partnership with the National Breast Cancer Foundation; since 2000 it has raised over $3 million for the foundation, with its Global Landmark Illumination Initiative.

“We will continue our Breast Cancer Awareness campaign until every person diagnosed is a breast cancer survivor,” says managing director Terry Little.

L’Oréal Paris has chosen to fight ovarian cancer, a disease that claims one woman every ten hours.

“Ovarian cancer has notoriously been a more silent disease,” says Marketing Director Cameron Woods. “With no early detection test yet discovered, we’re extremely proud to contribute much-needed awareness and funds.”

In addition to fundraising activities, L‘Oréal Paris supports Dr Simon Chu in his work with the OCRF to investigate early detection.

“The beauty industry has a strong, emotional connection with women and we strive to use our position to hero and contribute to a cause,” says Woods.

OTHER BEAUTY DO-GOODERS

KIEHL’S

The brand is reactivating its partnership Adopt Change, the charity founded by Deborra-Lee Furness that is urging for change to Australia’s adoption laws.

MECCA COSMETICA

It regularly sells Mecca Signature Line gift sets, proceeds of which support The Hunger Project, a not-for-profit body that helps women in developing countries break the poverty cycle.

AVON

It helps combat domestic violence by donating all profits from its Empowerment range to White Ribbon.

ISSADA

It is launching a Poppy lipstick and a percentage of its sales will be donated to the Gallipoli Medical Research Foundation to aid research into post-traumatic stress disorder.

L’OCCITANE

The company features braille labelling on its packaging and supports Vision Australia, Seeing Eye Dogs Australia and The Fred Hollows Foundation with in-store and head-office activities.

GET THE LOOK

THE BEST HAIR AND MAKE-UP FROM THE PARIS RUNWAY

The French twist

Where: Chanel

How: Set in a faux French-style brasserie, models channelled Parisian ladies who lunch with nonchalantly chic updos. To create a modern, slightly messy French twist, Sam McKnight misted hair with texturising spray, twirled and pinned it up, and finished by tying on a black satin ribbon, headband-style.

Gothic lips at Emanuel Ungaro. Picture: AFP

French twist at Chanel. Picture: AFP

Gothic lips

Where: Emanuel Ungaro

How: Blackish-burgundy lips might not be for everyone, but the power pout made a serious statement at Ungaro, punctuating a minimally made up face and casually loose hair. Lucia Pieroni was on make-up duties, custom-mixing a number of dark lip colours to achieve the desired intensity.

Originally published as Beauty industry goes beyond skin-deep to champion charity