Beauty That Gives Back

When looking for beauty products, a few things factor in to the decision-making process. At the top of the list is “will it work?”. Obvious right?

Other factors may include if the brand is “clean” (more on that in another post), do they use sustainable packaging, making sure they don’t test on animals and so on.

All this really comes down to the brands values. Do they give back to the community? Do they support any causes that align with your own values?

I am here to share that there are MANY companies that give back- not just on certain months or with certain products, but year-round.

As a purchaser, you have buying power. Where you spend your hard-earned money counts and here are some amazing beauty brands that give back in a meaningful way. Not all the brands are household names, so I urge you to check out their websites and products- what you may find will surprise you!

I have organized them alphabetically.

Abhati Suisse

Causes: Environmental, Children, Global Issues

Abhati Suisse, a Switzerland-based hair and skin-care brand, donates a percentage of profits to two different organizations: WeForest, which plants trees across the globe and helps sustain forests, and Educate Girls, an organization that works in schools in India to boost the enrollment and attendance of girls. To date, the brand has helped an estimated 120,000 girls access education.

Mahandi Lip Treatment — **Mahandi Lip treatment**

Alpyn Beauty

Causes: Environmental

With a background in Clinical Skincare, the founder found herself looking for more natural alternatives for her clients in Rural Wyoming. She then turned to her backyard for inspiration using the area's natural resources to create a beauty line. Alpyn Beauty donates a portion of all their sales to the Grand Teton National Park Foundation's rewilding efforts, which includes restoring over 5000 acres of native grassland that’s vital for the diversity and abundance of plants and wildlife species like elk, bison and moose. So far, their contribution has helped rewild over 1000 acres.

Additionally, Alpyn Beauty is a member of 1% for the Planet, giving back 1% of all sales to environmental causes.

**Alpyn Beauty Wild Nettle & Niacinamide Firming Serum**

ĀTHR Beauty

Causes: Environmental

ĀTHR is the first beauty brand to create the industry's first zero waste eyeshadow palette so sustainability is a big part of their ethos. Since launching in 2018, the makeup brand has worked with impactful nonprofits like The Water Project and The Rainforest Foundation. Currently, the brand partners with 1% For The Planet. They donate 1% of all sales to the organization's environmental initiatives in climate, food, pollution, water, and wildlife.

**Rose Quartz Crystal Gemstone Palette**

Burt's Bees

Causes: Women & Children, International, Environmental

Burt’s Bees is another company that donates to numerous causes and is very proud of the fact that they responsibly source shea butter from West Africa— improving the livelihood of more than 14,000 women there. When it comes to nature, they have planted more than 15 billion wildflower seeds to help restore the bee population and have a project called SheKeeper which teaches bee keeping to the women in West Africa which in turn helps their business and their environment

Clarins

Causes: Environment, Medical- Arthritis, Global, Children

This prestigious French brands efforts go beyond skin care: They currently give to organizations focused on the environment and arthritis however their biggest impact may be that in conjunction with FEED they have helped serve over 36 million school meals through the United Nations World Food Programme. You can read more here.

ColourPop

Causes: Animal Welfare

ColourPop has animals at the top of its giving list with over $750,000 being donated as of February 2023. They are partnered with Best Friends and they even have adoptable dogs and cats on their site to help get them adopted!

Eraclea Skin Care

Causes: Breast Cancer

When October rolls around you know many brands launch initiatives to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Eraclea keeps the cause at the forefront all year-round. A whopping 15% of proceeds from all Eraclea products go towards the AiRS Foundation, which financially assists women who are interested in breast reconstruction after mastectomy. When the founders of AiRS learned that up to 70% of the survivors who desire reconstructive surgery do not have sufficient insurance or other resources to cover it, they were shocked and decided to do something about it.

First Aid Beauty

Causes: Education

First Aid is well known for products that help calm and smooth skin. In addition to providing great products, in 2021 & 2022, the Fab Aid Initiative ran a contest and paid off almost $3.3 million in student loans for 69 lucky winners who are mostly women. They are looking to embark on a new program for 2023 so stay tuned!

**Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration**

Givescent

Causes: Women & Children

These Italian summer-inspired scents make you feel like you sipping a spritz on the Amalfi Coast, plus they're free of alcohol and chemicals, including formaldehyde and parabens. The best part? Proceeds from the company's sales go to Women for Women International which supports female survivors of war with tools and resources to move from crisis to stability and self-sufficiency.

Golden Door

Causes: Women & Children

This luxury California health spa has a product line and 100 percent of the proceeds from their product’s sales are given to children’s charities. They continue to be a leading force in the fight against child abuse and neglect, donating to numerous impactful organizations, including Casa de Amparo, The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center, I Have a Dream Foundation, and many more.

Grounded Sage

Causes: Animal Welfare

This Canadian Skincare brand is so committed to animal welfare that they have a “too many to count” list of organizations they have donated to. One of our favorites is Bullies in Need which works to rescue pit bulls! The founders are so dedicated to the cause, they have started their own animal sanctuary.

Honest Beauty

Causes: Women & Children, Social Justice, Environment, International

An offshoot of Jessica Alba’s wildly successful Honest Company, this Beauty Brand donates to a variety of causes related to social justice, the environment as well as those helping women & children. With the help of their non-profit partners, they have donated over 25 million family personal care, feminine care, clean beauty products and other essentials to women and children in need.

Kahina Giving Beauty

Causes: Women & Children, Global, Environment

Described as Luxury Ethical Skincare, Kahina Giving Beauty’s products are centered around Moroccan argan oil. So, it’s fitting that the brand donates 1 percent of its revenue to the Berber women of Morocco since 2009. In collaboration with the High Atlas Foundation, Kahina has worked to plant 12,000 trees in community-run nurseries. They’ve also donated 100 sheep to women in the Anti Atlas Mountains of Morocco to provide wool for weaving, 84 pairs of winter boots to the children of the village of Ait Goh in the Anti Atlas Mountains, provided healthcare for 25 women of a cooperative outside of Agadir in southwest Morocco and offered free room and board for 12 girls so that they can continue their education beyond the third grade through Education for All Morocco. Finally, they’ve constructed a girl’s bathroom to serve a public primary school outside of Marrakech. Girls were not attending school due to the lack of privacy and hygiene—as a result of the new bathroom, the school is seeing attendance rise among girls.

Kinship

Causes: Environmental

Kinship is a sustainable and cruelty free brand that really practices what they preach. In partnership with Ocean Waste Plastic, they have helped remove 6 tons of plastic waste from the oceans in the Java Sea and nearby rivers.

KPS Essentials

Causes: Women, Cancer

This organic and vegan skin-care brand donates a portion of proceeds from all its sales to Hello Gorgeous, a non-profit organization that provides complimentary makeovers to women battling cancer.

Lush

Causes: Environmental, Animal Welfare, Human Rights

Lush put sustainability and environmental concerns at the heart of its company, making use of almond and olive oil over mineral oil and using 90 percent recyclable packaging or foregoing packaging entirely! The brand also has a dedicated charitable product: Charity Pot Body Lotion, with 100 percent of the purchase price allocated to grants supporting environmental justice, as well as human rights and animal protection.

MAC

Causes: AIDS

Mac is famous for its giving! MAC Cosmetics co-founders Frank Toskan and Frank Angelo created an intense brownish-red lipstick color in 1994 — the Viva Glam — with a goal to make an impact in their community. So far, they have raised over half a billion dollars in 26 years that go to HIV organizations through their Mac-Aids Fund.

Make Beauty

Causes: Environmental, LGBTQ

This New York City-based makeup and skincare brand is that celebrates self-expression and empowerment. A portion of all sales go to the One Tree Planted Charity and a portion also go to the Trevor Project which is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ young people under 25.

Meow Meow Tweet

Causes: Environmental, Social Justice, Animal Welfare

This quirky brand is low waste, vegan, non-GMO so it is close to their heart to give back to Mother Nature. Meow Meow Tweet allocates at least 1% of its sales to organizations related to earth and nature, social justice, and animal justice. In the past, they've given to environmental justice organizations like Ocean Conservancy and One Tree Planted. 

Deodorant Stick Rose Geranium Baking Soda Free — **Deodorant Stick- Rose Geranium**

Musee Bath

Causes: Women & Children

With bath balms, bath soaks, bar soaps, and candles, Musee Bath is hoping to upgrade pretty much every part of your bathing experience — all while bettering the lives of hundreds of women. Headquartered in Madison County, Mississippi, Musee hires women recovering after prison time, treatment centers, and abusive situations to craft all of its products. In addition to offering them a living wage and resources, the brand donates a portion of all profits to various charities that help educate children worldwide.

Philosophy

Causes: Mental Health

This popular brand not only has quality face and body products with an uplifting message, but it also donates 1 percent of its product sales to mental health programs through its hope&grace initiative. So far over $580,000 have been donated with over 2 million women benefitting from mental health support.

Rahua

Causes: Environmental

Another company focused on sustainability and being carbon neutral is Rahua. This brand is inspired by and uses ingredients from the Amazon. So far with their One Bottle= One Acre initiative, they have been able to save 150,000 acres of pristine rainforest in the amazon.

Right to Shower

Causes: Homelessness

This is a company that puts its mission ahead of its products on its website. Their mission is to bring showers and dignity to the streets. A whopping 30% of their proceeds go to fund their mission and to date, almost 30,000 residents of Los Angeles, Dallas, the Bay Area, North Carolina, and New York have been granted access to one of the most basic human needs—a shower.

**Dignity Body Wash Charcoal & Cotton Blossom**

Tatcha

Causes: Women & Children, International, Education

This award-winning Japanese Beauty company focuses on the region's flora for their line, but it is the founder Victoria Tsai's passion for literacy that she started the Beautiful Faces, Beautiful Futures program. Through Room to Read, a portion of each sale helps fund girls' education in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and Vietnam. In six years, the brand has paid for more than 5 million days of schooling. They are also focusing their efforts to improve US literacy through The Room to Read initiative

The Body Shop

Causes: Social Justice, Human Rights, Environmental, Women & Children, Global

The Body Shop has a long History of activism which you can read about here. Primarily focused on Social & Environmental justice their reach extends across the globe. Since 1994, The Body Shop has partnered with the Tungteiya Women’s Association in northern Ghana to produce all of the shea butter it uses in its products. In addition to paying a fair price for the shea, the brand also pays a premium for the women to invest in community projects, including things like safe water and health center access.

The Ordinary

Causes: Social Justice

Global Brand- The Ordinary recognizes the importance of community outreach. In 2020, they pledged, and are now rolling out, The DECIEM Community Fund – an initiative donating $120,000 across 12 causes that directly affect the neighborhoods where DECIEM stores are located.

Thrive Causemetics

Causes: Social Justice, Women & Children, Homelessness

Thrive donates money for every product sold to various charities, most recently they donated $100,000 to the University of Louisville Breonna Taylor Memorial Scholarship Fund in Nursing. In addition to social justice, they are heavily involved in women's cancer charities, domestic abuse & homelessness. You can be sure that when you purchase a Thrive product, your money is going directly to partners in your community.