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Jul 07, 2023

10 Beauty Products Paving The Way Toward Accessibility For All

Everyone deserves to try the latest makeup products that make them look and feel beautiful. Unfortunately, this is not always a possibility for people experiencing different disabilities. There are

Everyone deserves to try the latest makeup products that make them look and feel beautiful. Unfortunately, this is not always a possibility for people experiencing different disabilities. There are individuals who miss out on wearing their favorite lipstick shade simply because their hands are too shaky and they don't have the arm mobility to swipe on the lipstick evenly. This also goes for beloved serums, popular eye creams, blushes, and other trendy beauty products that don't cater to individuals with different needs. This creates an environment built on division and exclusion of people who experience disabilities compared to able-bodied individuals.

Accessibility in the beauty industry is of extreme importance, so that we can truly cater to all types of bodies, skin colors, disabilities, and other diversities that make the world what it is. Luckily, there are a few products on this list that are setting a precedent for what it looks like to provide accessibility for all.

You've probably heard of Selena Gomez's brand Rare Beauty and the famous ultra-pigmented liquid blush that is making the rounds on TikTok for the tint it provides with just one or two dots. Well, this miracle blush is not only a game changer for its pigment but also its easy accessibility that allows people with a variety of disabilities like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus (which Gomez herself has been diagnosed with), or anything that could affect grip and mobility to easily open and close this product. The metal sphere on top of the applicator of the Soft Pinch Liquid Blush creates accessibility by minimizing slippage and allowing for an easy twist off that requires little force or pressure.

Rare Beauty claims "to be committed to the principles of accessibility and inclusion." And the brand demonstrates this in its products that are specifically packaged to be easy to open and use for all individuals. TikToker Christen Roos was born with a genetic disorder which makes her shorter arms lack the strength needed to open and use a variety of different beauty products. However, the Rare Beauty blush was a breath of fresh air for her due to its easy packaging. "I'm always surprised when something is easy to open, but it should all be easy to open," said Roos in an interview with BuzzFeed News. "So when I bought this Rare Beauty blush, I was amazed."

Makeup brushes are supposed to make our lives easier by letting us play and control different products without making a mess. Yet, it can be hard to find a set of makeup brushes that comfortably allows people with motor disabilities to apply makeup. This is why The Flex Collection by Kohl Kreatives was launched with the mission of providing bendable brushes that can cater to just about everyone.

According to Kohl Kreatives, "The Flex Collection is a bespoke set of [five] makeup brushes that bend all the way forwards and backwards allowing the user to apply makeup in a way that's comfortable for them." The set also happens to be environmentally friendly and made out of recycled plastics. The brush collection also features different shapes including large and small triangle, diamond, round, and circle brushes that can cater to your different makeup needs, ranging from foundation to contour. It also has padded handles for a comfortable grip or hold on the various makeup brushes.

Brushing your hair after a shower can feel like a full workout. A good hair brush, like the Vent Brush by Conair, with its soft gel handles, is the key to a good blowout and making the task feel like less of a chore. For people with autoimmune diseases, like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, this is especially crucial as common symptoms include swelling, weakness and muscle aches that can make lifting and gripping a hair brush more difficult, per Healthline.

The Vent Brush keeps its users in mind that may have motor issues, autoimmune disorders or missing limbs that can prevent them from comfortably holding a hairbrush. This is why the Conair product is coated with gel at its base handle to easily mold into the shape of your hand and make the task easier. Plus, the vents on the back of the brush allow for air to travel from your styling tool to your hair for faster results, which equals a quicker blowout and less time holding a hair brush.

If you struggle with shaky hands or have a disability that causes hand tremors or unsteadiness, then you'll love The Vamp Stamp by VaVaVoom. There's no reason you shouldn't enjoy a perfect cat wing and this stamp delivers exactly that in a matter of seconds.

The Vamp Stamp, an eyeliner stamp that you can comfortably use to stamp on cat eyes, was created in 2017 by makeup artist Veronica Lorenz, who had previously been diagnosed with a benign spinal cord tumor that left her with a loss of sensation in her left arm, per The New York Times. Lorenz was determined to create a product that would cater to people with different disabilities and help make their lives easier while still utilizing products that they loved.

The Vamp Stamp comes in a series of three sizes, so you can also customize your eyeliner to be as little or big as you prefer. It also comes with a double end: one for a right wing and the other for a left wing. All you have to do is simply dip the stamp into VaVaVoom's Vink eyeliner ink or any eyeliner ink of your choosing, and then place it near the corner of your eye where you would like your wing to be. From here, you stamp on the cat eye and you're good to go in a matter of seconds.

Painting your nails is always a challenge, but for people with disabilities, the simple self-care task of painting one's nails can turn into a messy and frustrating experience. Poppy by Olive and June eliminates this disappointment with a nail polish bottle handle that is designed for people with grip issues and allows for more control, making painting nails an easy affair.

For those suffering from achy and shaky fingers and hands, the light bulb shaped handle on Poppy is here to help. According to Olive and June, Poppy is constructed out of ultra-soft silicone that can fit on top of your favorite nail polish bottle to make DIY manicures a breeze. All you have to do is pop off the regular cap from your go-to nail polish and find the flat side of this brush (which is typically the wider side). Once you've located this, line it up with the flat side of Poppy and then pop it on top of the cap and you're ready to start painting your nails at home.

If it is difficult for you to hold your mascara wand because you have shaky hands, arthritis or muscle spasms, you should check out Lash Wrap Mascara from Guide Beauty. This unique and innovative wand design is useful on a day-to-day basis for people with restricted arm mobility who struggle to hold typical mascara wands. The Lash Wrap Mascara wand has a pop-socket-like ring on the wand handle that rests between your fingers and allows users to comfortably stabilize their hand for mess-free mascara application. The mascara itself is great for both volumizing and lengthening your lashes, giving you an easy full coverage without having to combine different mascaras. The mascara is also made for sensitive and watery eyes, and guarantees smudge-proof long-lasting wear.

Professional makeup artist Terri Bryant started Guide Beauty after experiencing Parkinson's disease for years, which impacted her love of using makeup. Her creative chief officer Selma Blair also has multiple sclerosis, and the two have come together to create products like the Lash Wrap Mascara that can help individuals with different disabilities have a steady hand and apply makeup comfortably.

Eye creams and serums can be a pain to open and squeeze. However, Drunk Elephant is committed to making all of its products easily accessible, including its popular eye cream, the C-Tango Multivitamin Eye Cream, that easily twists and pumps out the product without the user having to exert too much force. This twist-and-pump method separates this eye cream from the countless others that don't cater to people with disabilities. The product also comes in prism-shaped containers with four flat rectangular sides that are not only easy to grip if you have restricted arm function, but also perfect to pack for traveling or use on the go.

The restorative eye cream is meant to be hydrating and packs in different forms of vitamin C and brightening effects, while also claiming to be gentle enough to use morning and night. However, the product is not cheap, costing around $64 for 0.5 ounces at the time of writing. According to Drunk Elephant, you'll never find the "suspicious six" ingredients in its products, which include essential oils, drying alcohols, silicones, chemical sunscreens, fragrances/dyes, and sodium lauryl sulfate. This may contribute to the product's rather steep price.

While moisturizing our skin, we often neglect our back because it's hard to reach. This is a special challenge for those with upper or lower body disabilities that have no other way of applying lotion to their backs. Body Buddy has provided the perfect solution with its Back & Body Lotion Applicator, which helps you spread lotion onto your entire back in order to stay hydrated and healthy.

This is a high-quality non-absorbent lotion applicator that works fairly easily. All you have to do is dab your desired lotion in the center of the applicator. Then, flip it over your shoulders and use the applicator handles to glide the lotion across your back. This can be especially useful for those with limited physical limitations as it decreases the amount of twisting, bending, and any other movements required to apply lotion, sunscreen, or any other products to your back. The product is also machine-washable, making it rather easy to clean.

Your makeup is never really complete without a touch of your favorite lipstick. For people with disabilities like multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy, using a steady hand to apply their favorite lipsticks can become rather difficult. This is why L'Oréal Groupe recently provided a solution: a handheld computerized makeup applicator called HAPTA, which is essentially a "smart" lipstick that utilizes sensors to apply the product. HAPTA works in conjunction with any L'Oréal-owned Lancôme lipstick or mascara that clicks into place on the applicator and has the ability to rotate 360 degrees. Plus, it has a built-in smart motion control, which means that it can essentially give users a good grip and helps them regain as much control as they desire when it comes to applying their lipstick.

"For L'Oréal, the future of beauty is inclusive. And this future will be made more accessible by technology," said L'Oréal's Deputy Chief Executive Officer Nicolas Hieronimus in a press release. The company explains in the press release that over 50 million people struggle with fine motor skills. This is why this smart lipstick can make a real change in people's lives. L'Oréal also plans on expanding its smart beauty technology range in the near future.

Vive Health's Foam Grip Tubing utensils are specifically designed for individuals with motor disabilities or health conditions that can cause difficulty gripping products. So often, our favorite makeup concealers and mascaras are rather slippery, making them even more difficult to utilize for people with disabilities. The Foam Grip Tubing can fix this problem with comfortable foam tubes that can slide over a variety of makeup tools from most mainstream brands and products ranging from shaving sticks and toothbrushes to eyeliners.

The tube simply comes in different sizes and slides over your products to allow for a stable grip. They're all non-slip foams, which means the amount of product slippage is reduced. The covers are also reusable and dishwasher-friendly. Vive Health claims that these covers can be especially beneficial for individuals with "ALS, Parkinson's disease, Ehler-Danlos syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, neuropathy, and multiple sclerosis." This product can provide these individuals with the freedom and independence to continue utilizing products that they love on a daily basis.