Beauty and wellness go hand-in-hand. As the world continues to progress in making the world a better place that would cater to both beauty and wellness, we are also witnessing the future of this industry. Many recent trends and innovations have helped make this progress grow more, like eco-friendly makeup, cruelty-free skincare, stem cell therapy, and many more.
Another recent addition to the beauty industry that should impact the wellness industry is inclusive beauty. But, what is inclusive beauty?
Inclusive Shades Of Beauty
Cosmetics companies have been at the center of many criticisms for their make-up products that lack available shades for darker skin tones. But, that is slowly changing as every aspect of the world we occupy is becoming more diverse and inclusive.
It’s becoming a norm in the beauty industry now for make-up brands and their products to have more diverse and inclusive shades, but it’s moving at a snail’s pace. We need to see more actions and results. However, we can still celebrate a small victory by highlighting some companies that have gone from exclusive to inclusive and those that have always been inclusive from the start. Here are some of them:
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Fenty Beauty
Robin Fenty — or Rihanna as the world knows her — was recently declared a billionaire after years of working as a musician, actress, and entrepreneur. In 2017, she started her cosmetics company to make women of all shapes, sizes, and colors feel included with 40 different foundation shades. It was a decision that had girls everywhere backing her up and getting their hands on her make-up products, propelling Rihanna into the billionaire club.
Now, you can take a bow, Miss Fenty. You’ve changed the beauty industry for the better.
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Estée Lauder
As one of the biggest cosmetics companies in the world, Estée Lauder joining the inclusive beauty movement is a game-changer. Fabrizio Freda, chief executive officer and president of the company, said in a statement that their company’s “collective vision is to be the most inclusive, equitable and diverse global beauty company for our employees and consumers alike.” And they seem to walk the talk as they dropped 56 shades of their popular foundations — a move that means a lot for all types of girls and women in the world.
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MAC Cosmetics
Not many people know this, but MAC is one of the cosmetics companies which has been inclusive for the longest time as they’ve always had foundations available in 40 to 50 different shades. However light or dark your skin is, you can be sure you can find the perfect shade for your skin tone.
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Maybelline
Among the popular cosmetics brands out there, Maybelline is one of the cheapest. And as they expanded the shades of their foundation lines by adding 16 more in 2017, they are making the beauty industry inclusive and affordable.
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EveryHue Beauty
With a brand name summarizing what they stand for, which is that “beauty does come in all shapes, sizes, and complexions,” they sure have every hue available for all types of skin tones. EveryHue is a cosmetics line founded by four women of all color who dreamed of making the beauty industry more inclusive. That dream has come true.
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Lancôme
This 86-year-old beauty giant must be adapting to the inclusivity that the world is starting to embrace more. When they dropped their foundation line with 50 shades, it made it easier for girls and women of all complexions to choose the perfect match for their skin tone. Now, that’s progress.
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Make Up For Ever
When Fenty Beauty released their 40 shades of foundation line, Make Up For Ever stated that they have also sported a 40-shaded foundation line since 2015. Yes, that is indeed make-up for everyone.
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CoverGirl
Besides their inclusive make-up line, CoverGirl has also supported inclusivity in many ways, especially in their brand ambassadors. Alongside black celebrity ambassadors like Issa Rae are a septuagenarian model Maye Musk and a Muslim hijab-wearing model Nura Afia in their beauty campaigns. This representation of women from different races, ages, and religions is something that we need to see more. And for a cosmetics giant like CoverGirl to be one of the first companies to be this inclusive is inspiring.
Inclusive Beauty Era
Beauty and how the beholder perceives it has come a long way. And whether you’re someone like Alicia Keys who has embraced the no-make-up look, or like Rihanna who wants to push further the boundaries of beauty with her make-up, or if you’re somewhere in between, then you have a place in this redefined era of beauty. That’s what inclusivity is about.
