Body & beauty

Jo Fairley: Beauty That Cares

The Beauty Bible guru celebrates brands that have stepped up during lockdown

I truly believe we’re on the cusp of a shopping revolution – and it’s taken a tiny virus, smaller than a liposome or an atom of hyaluronic acid, to bring it about. I’m immensely proud of the way the beauty world has stepped up in this time of crisis, raising money, donating products or turning their entire production over to making hand sanitisers. And I couldn’t agree more with shopping guru Mary Portas, who observed recently: ‘Every pound spent is a vote for how we want to live from now on.’ So here are some beauty companies whose initiatives have touched my heart with their caring attitude.

Aveda

A brand with heart from the day it was founded by Horst Rechelbacher, Aveda has most recently embarked on a global programme to give back to salons, hairstylists and those on the front lines, with a $1.5 million fundraising initiative to offer financial relief to independently owned salons affected by Covid-19. They’ve also made 125,000 product donations to healthcare workers (6,000 in the UK). My newest love from their line-up? The lusciously hydrating Aveda Nutriplenish Shampoo Deep Moisture and matching Conditioner Deep Moisture, which I can almost hear my hair slurping up.

UpCircle

Pioneeringly, UpCircle base products around natural ingredients that would otherwise go to waste. As part of the coronavirus relief effort, UpCircle offered care packages to NHS workers – but the product I most want for self-care, is the wonderfully hydrating, vegan and organic Face Serum with Coffee Oil, featuring coffee oil from repurposed grounds, alongside rosehip and seabuckthorn oil. This is stocked at theecofriendlylivingco.co.uk

Pai Skincare

This Acton-based indie brand has supplied thousands of NHS workers, carers and homeless charities with hand sanitiser, via a ‘Buy One, Donate One’ initiative. Acton Spirit hand sanitiser was formulated in just two days from scratch and sent out with the most makeshift (but still legal!) labels, with a 65 percent alcohol level and fragonia oil. For each product sold, one is donated.

Soapsmith

This sense-pleasing brand also initiated a ‘buy one, we’ll donate one’ scheme whereby for every product sold, founder Sam Jameson pledged to hand-make and gift a bar of soap to local NHS teams, offering a decidedly more luxurious experience than the standardissue hand cleansers. The Soapsmith treat I swoon over is the Bloomsbury Bath Soak, £25 for 500ml, which is heaven-scented with roses, honeysuckle, primrose and peony in a skin-softening coconut milk powder base.

Jo Fairley is the co-founder of Green & Blacks and author of the incredible book The Beauty Bible. Head online to see her latest projects at josephinefairley.com