EP51. Is the Beauty Industry Disability Friendly? A Panel Discussion

Is the cosmetics industry ready for disability friendly beauty? We've been pondering this question for a while and decided to convene an expert panel to discuss the topic of disability friendly beauty in our latest Green Beauty Conversations podcast episode.

It feels as if disabled beauty shoppers are sometimes (often? mostly?) overlooked, but it's important to remember that 1 billion people, or 15% of the world’s population, experience some form of disability. Let’s not forget that all of these 1 billion people will buy personal care or beauty products, which is why it's so shocking that it's taken us this long as an industry to embrace disability friendly beauty.

Luckily, the topic of accessible and inclusive beauty is one that is gaining traction in the industry. Furthermore, in the social media era, where shoppers can have a direct conversation with brands on a variety of topics, beauty businesses are receiving real time feedback on what we want and need - and they're hearing from customers who want them to do more. Recently, someone even filed a lawsuit against Fenty Beauty accusing them of engaging in intentional discrimination due to the current inaccessibility of its e-commerce site for customers who are visually impaired.

Meet our Beauty and Disability Discussion Panel

Disability friendly beauty is a topic that everyone in the beauty industry should be thinking about, which is why we invited a panel of experts on this topic to talk to us about their experience and work in the industry.

Some people might think only about the packaging of a product when it comes to making accessible and inclusive beauty. But what are the different ways that people with disabilities might struggle with the beauty industry and the products it sells? Our fantastic panellists on this month's edition of Green Beauty Conversations discuss disability friendly beauty in more detail to help you understand the changes that need to happen for shoppers and brands.

Emily Davison is a blogger and freelance journalist who, at birth, was diagnosed with a rare congenital condition called septo-optic dysplasia. She started her blog Fashioneyesta with the aim of challenging people's perceptions of sight loss through her love of fashion, beauty and style.

Trishna Daswaney is the founder of Kohl Kreatives, an innovative make brush company who make adaptive equipment for applying making in the form of flexible brushes that bend both forwards and backwards, making them perfect for everyone, including those with motor disabilities.

Victoria Watts is the founder of the natural beauty brand Victorialand Beauty, which as well as empowering women through their skincare range also has developed a beauty inclusive business model where products are made accessible for people who are visually impaired. Victorialand Beauty is one of the emerging disability friendly beauty brands on the market.

In this podcast, you will:

• Hear the expert panel discuss whether they believe the beauty industry is disability friendly.
• Understand some of the key issues that may affect disabled people with regards to accessing and using personal care products.
• Hear about the amazing work being undertaken by several brands and advocates to speak up for people with disabilities.
• Learn the changes the beauty industry needs to make to become more inclusive and accessible.

Key takeaways include:

• Whilst progress is being made, clearly the beauty industry has a way to go in terms of becoming more accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities.
• We think the indie beauty sector can play a huge role in can play a huge role in improving accessibility, inclusivity and visibility for people with disabilities.
• Keeping this important conversation going is essential for the beauty industry to make further progress and we can all pay our roles in this as entrepreneurs and consumers.
• Disabled consumers can give constructive feedback to brands on their experiences with both products and the purchase experience.

Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Formula Botanica: Green Beauty Conversations podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please share, subscribe and review on iTunes, Spotify or Stitcher so that more people can enjoy the show. Don’t forget to follow and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.