Week 4 blogs - Why disability remains the beauty industry’s next inclusivity frontier

Week 4 blogs - Why disability remains the beauty industry’s next inclusivity frontier

Why disability remains the beauty industry’s next inclusivity frontier | Dazed

The article “Why disability remains the beauty industry’s next inclusivity frontier” talks about the continuing lack of accessibility and representation for people with disabilities within the beauty industry. In recent years, there has been progress toward racial, gender and size inclusivity. The article talks about how the biggest gap in inclusivity is disabilities.

The article talks about how over 1.3 billion people live with some type of disability. They talk about how this creates a massive customer base who are being ignored. Even with this massive range, beauty brands still aren’t doing what they should be. The industry is still missing products that are suitable for different ranges of people. Every day struggles for people with disabilities often include products that are difficult to open, products that aren’t labelled properly, such as braille or tactile markings and tools that haven’t been created to suit their needs. The article looks into how even though inclusivity is talked about in the beauty industry, nothing is done to fix it.

A few brands that the article talked about are Lancome’s HAPTA. This is a computerised makeup applicator that is designed to help individuals with limited hand mobility. Another brand is Unilever’s deodorant prototype. However, this article also talks about how most of the time, products only stay in the design process or are discontinued before they are known and used by the people who actually need them. This shows how the industry can be all talk and not actually focused on reaching other audiences. 

Smaller brands are becoming the leading brands that are more inclusive. The article talks about Guide Beauty, they were founded by a makeup artist diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. They developed tools that help with getting a better grip and improving control for users with tremors. Another brand the article spoke about was Human Beauty. They are a UK-based brand that was created specifically to address the inaccessibility and lack of representation for people with disabilities. The examples that the article provided show how smaller brands are catering to everyone’s needs and are finding the gaps in the industry that need addressing.

A key point the article made was how the industry needs to do better in creating products and tools. Brands are always discussing that they are inclusive and how they are meeting everyone's needs, but they never actually create them. While featuring a model who has a disability in a campaign or advertisement is inclusive, it isn’t enough. Real inclusivity is having the products on the market and being inclusive to all and not just talking about it. Brands need to start being inclusive throughout the whole development process. The product development, packaging, marketing and retail environments. The article highlights that individuals with disabilities should be included in the research, testing, and creative processes of beauty creation.

Group discussion 

During the discussion, there were many interesting points. There is a massive gap in the industry that needs to be fixed. Being an inclusive brand should be one of the most important factors when creating that brand because everyone can use it. When discussing how a brand doesn't meet everyone's needs and is not inclusive, is it because the brand can not afford it? Brands know what products are going to do well and if they have a big enough audience to get money back into the business. However, as not many products have been created and developed in this industry yet, the brands might not have the finances to create something that has never been seen before, to then launch the product, and no one actually purchases it. This could be a reason for the gap in this industry. However, if they could not do that, the brands could add braille or symbols to the packaging that they already have. This alone is a big step toward inclusivity and would gain a bigger customer base. Another point discussed is how, in inclusivity, a small group is being listened to and the rest are being pushed aside and overlooked. In this day and age, this should not be happening. Everyone should feel included and that there are products out in the industry for them. If all a brand can do to be inclusive is to show different people in their advertisements and campaigns, then they aren't doing enough. Overall, the industry needs a change, and if the brands do not realise this, they will lose business, smaller brands will come out on top, and the industry will come to a stop.