Beauty Brands That Give Back

By Erin Schweinsberg

We all have our favorite brands in the beauty world, and there are so many that definitely deserve our support, I’d like to put a few companies in the spotlight for their positive contribution- both locally and globally. I think we can all agree that shopping with ethical brands brings peace of mind. Brand’s that are sustainable, or give back to the community, or source their ingredients ethically; make it so much easier to hand over your credit card. After a recent shopping adventure, I found myself spending more in the stores that were raising awareness for animals, the environment, and donating to great causes; their generosity, in turn, inspired me to buy generously. A feeling of investing instead of just spending. Here are a few beauty brands that are truly knocking it out of the ball park with their charitable causes, companies I’m proud to say I spend my money with, and what I consider to be the “prettiest” side of the beauty world!

LUSH COSMETICS - Charitable giving is at the heart of Lush Cosmetics, they advocate for the environment, animals, and people in need. For many years, they have donated funds to both local and international organizations through the sale of their well-known product Charity Pot, their Sustainable Lush Fund, and FunD. Charity Pot is an amazing body lotion that was made back in 2007, 100% of the proceeds goes towards supporting humanitarian, environmental, and animal rights causes. Since its launch, Charity Pot has donated more than $33,000,000 to 2450+ grassroots charities in 42 countries! The Sustainable Lush Fund is based on the main principles of permaculture; a natural design system that enriches local ecosystems. The millions of sustainable Lush Fund Dollars spent have helped support the development of more than 44 projects in 21 countries. The goal with this fund is to ensure the ingredients they source are being produced in a way to protect the eco-system, increase food security, and support independent producers. FunD was a Lush fund created specifically for the children of Japan, in 2011 a large earthquake caused a nuclear plant to contaminate a large area making it unsafe for children to play outside. Lush created a soap called FUN, and 2.5% of the sales from all FUN soap bars go into the Lush FunD, which then donates money to small grassroots charities in Japan that are working to ensure there are safe places for children to play outside.

BURTS BEES - In 2007, Burts Bee’s created The Greater Good Foundation, a non-profit, charitable organization designed to further their mission of responsible environmental stewardship. Since its inception, The Greater Good Foundation has issued $2.4 million in grants, and donated over $330,000 proceeds to nonprofit organizations. At Burts Bee’s they also believe in renewable energy, responsible sourcing of their ingredients, sustainable packaging, and zero waste to landfills! Through the Burts Bee’s Greater Good Foundation and RAFI (Rural Advancement Foundation International), they have planted over 5000 acres of pollinating forage (which is more than 15 billion seeds), a habitat which helps support thousands more acres of nearby farmland with pollination services and pest reduction.

THE BODY SHOP- The body shop supports many causes- from helping save National Parks with NPCA, to continuing the fight for Forever Against Animal Testing. They also have a Re-wild the World campaign which aims to help protect endangered animals and habitats all over the world, and they also help in the fight for women’s rights and equal opportunities with their Empowering Women campaign. The Body Shop are deeply committed to sourcing their ingredients ethically, from small scale farmers, and have 26 Community Trade suppliers in 21 countries; benefiting 25,000 people. As a sustainable business, The Body Shop are committed to reducing their environmental footprint too, using biodegradable ingredients from renewable origins, and also using “green chemistry” which is all about reducing chemicals that are hazardous to the environment. They stand firmly as a business who is committed to “enrich not exploit”, with the founder Anita Roddick believing that business could be a “force for good!”