For some beauty brands — think the likes of Supergoop! and Fenty Beauty by Rihanna — what they preach is just as important as the products they sell.
Causes are no longer afterthought, feel-good aims to get brownie points from consumers and investors, but built within the brand, even before the formulation of the foundation was finalised.
Selena Gomez, the child star-turned-entrepreneur who is vocal about self-acceptance and her own mental health journey, has consciously placed these two elements as the basis of her beauty line, Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez, which launched last year.
Rare Beauty events and education global director Pearse Renfree says Gomez, who is the brand's founder and creator, is an advocate of mental health, who has spent the last year and a half developing the products.
"We took into consideration her personality and voice, and for that, we really celebrate mental health," he says during a Zoom briefing from the brand's Los Angeles office.
OPEN CONVERSATION
The Rare Impact Foundation, set up to support mental health initiatives especially among underserved communities, is the brand's arm to "give back to the world".
"We want to educate our community and celebrate what makes us unique, special and rare. We encourage open conversations around mental health," Renfree says.
He says the brand's social media engagement is 375 per cent above the average beauty brand and there's good reason for that.
"We find why we resonate deeply with people is that people want to have conversations (about mental health) and this is good to reduce the stigma associated with it.
"Sometimes, we find ourselves having a bad day but we don't want to say it because we think we're only the ones feeling that way. I think if we can open these conversations and make it a norm, we'll find a community who will support us, and people with the same mindset as us, so we won't feel alone and isolated," he says.
"That's why having an open conversation is important."
LIGHT AS AIR
Renfree says when Gomez was working on the products, she had wanted every item to be weightless, as she was not a fan of heavy make-up.
"So instead of just one weightless product, the philosophy goes across the brand. She wants innovative textures, ease of application and buildable coverage," he says.
Renfree, who has been a make-up artist for 20 years, says the results are melt-into-the-skin products that are easy to use.
Case in point: The brand's Always an Optimist Primer (see the self-acceptance affirmation there?) is a silicone-free, cooling gel that doesn't need foundation as a finishing touch. "It just nurtures the complexion, with a soft pearl sheen to bounce light," he says.
But if you want foundation, the Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation is as light as it gets. It's more a pigmented serum than make-up foundation in texture, Renfree says.
"Gomez doesn't like foundation. She just wants a healthy skin effect. And that's not easy to develop. A pigmented product would naturally have some weight."
But two years since product development began, the foundation came to life. Weightless and pigmented, you just need to shake the bottle before you apply.
"Because the serum is light, the pigments settle at the bottom. That's why you need to shake it to redistribute them," he says.
"You can use fingers, sponge or brush — we don't make tonnes of rules here — and it will bounce the light underneath the eyes and help cover darkness and discolouration. You'll just get a no make-up, make-up glow," he says.
HYDRATING SKIN
Another noteworthy product is the Liquid Touch Brightening Concealer — Gomez's go-to on weekends and no-make-up days. Renfree says the concealer is really a hydrator, that gives users a glow, helping the face look flawless and smooth.
"It self-sets, so you don't have to use powder, unless you really want to. It doesn't crease and it diffuses fine lines," he says.
The Blot & Glow Touch-Up Makeup Kit, meanwhile, is meant to make touch-up easy. The kit's size is based on Gomez's mobile phone. Just press a sheet of blotting paper over shiny areas of the face to absorb excess oil. Then, dab the pre-filled powder puff over shine-prone areas for a radiant, soft-focus finish.
"The powder is stored in the puff, and despite its size, it can last a few months," Renfree says.
BEYOND WHAT'S BOTTLED
Here are other beauty brands with a purpose:
DOVE
For over a decade, Dove has pushed the boundaries on what is perceived as beauty. In 2004, it rolled out the groundbreaking Real Beauty campaign that featured diverse women laughing and loving themselves. Some of its taglines over the years, like Grey or Gorgeous, Flawed or Flawless and Withered and Wonderful, have sparked conversations about beauty and ageing and what they mean.
MAC
The original inclusive make-up label, MAC, which was made for make-up artists, was a brand that aimed to be inclusive, before the word became mainstream. In 2010, it ran a powerful campaign designed to make its products attainable to all. It also has its AIDS Fund, which has raised money for the fight against HIV/AIDS from the sale of its Viva Glam Lipstick and Lipglass.
THE BODY SHOP
The late Dame Anita Roddick was a visionary who took the brand to great heights with its environmental philosophy. From recycling used packaging to paper bags to (once upon a time) being able to refill your shower gel and shampoo at its stores, the brand was a trailblazer in ethical consumerism and environment issues.
Source: mintwist.com
Redeem a Shopee Discount Code when buying beauty essentials for a cheaper price.