The world is changing for the better in many ways for women, but there is still so much work to be done. From disparity in the workplace, to alarming domestic violence rates, there are women across the country who desperately need support from those more fortunate.
So, when a brand like Benefit, built on helping women feel their best, has cemented itself as a household name, how can they use this business success to truly live up to the mission of empowering all women?
At our Step Forward Summit earlier this year, we had the pleasure of speaking to Sarah Harbon, General Manager of Benefit Cosmetics UK & Ireland. Sarah shared that “[Benefit’s] mission is to create a beauty community for all dedicated to doing good and feeling good.” Not only does this include the wide range of products and services that Benefit offers to ensure women feel their best, but it also extends to backing several long-standing charity partners who support women facing a variety of challenges. Benefit have taken this business ethos, and fearlessly utilised it to make a huge impact in the wider world.
Benefit’s mission to empower and inspire women to believe in themselves, unleashing their full potential is heavily influenced by its founders Jane and Jean Ford, who promoted being unapologetically authentic. The beauty counter has long served as a place where women seek advice and guidance on how to look and feel their best, and Sarah shares that the team are there to break down any barriers for the individual. Benefit believes in the power of services, using them to help make women empowered, inspired and confident. The impact of the Benefit team stretches far beyond the beauty counters and into these women’s personal, professional and everyday lives.
Bold Is Beautiful
Benefit’s Bold is Beautiful philanthropy programme sets out that the company pledges to donate £5 / €5 from every brow wax in May, to their long standing charity partners:
With someone being diagnosed with cancer every 90 seconds in the UK, Look Good Feel Better runs free wellbeing workshops and classes for people living with cancer. They work with experts in the beauty and wellbeing industry to give practical advice and support to help with the physical impact of cancer. To date, the organisation’s workshops have supported over 200,000 people living with cancer across the UK. Mark Flannery, CEO of Look Good Feel Better, says "The Benefit Bold is Beautiful campaign is one of the highlights of our year and helps raise much-needed funds.” Since 2015, Benefit have raised enough funds to host confidence boosting makeup and skincare workshops with over 18,000 women.
Another charity supported by Benefit’s Bold is Beautiful programme is the Daisyhouse Housing Association, who work directly with homeless women, providing them with critical support services and short term accommodation for 18 month periods. The charity aims to break the cycle of homelessness and empower women to move forward to independent, safe, sustainable living. Just four Benefit brow waxes can provide a bed for a woman who is staying in Daisyhouse accommodation service for one night.
The final charity Bold is Beautiful gets behind is Refuge, who support women and children experiencing domestic violence, through their 44 refuges and 24/7 Helpline. A recent Refuge survey found that 1 in 4 women experience domestic abuse in their lifetime. The effects of the cost of living crisis has only exacerbated the problem, with 58% of domestic abuse survivors not being able to afford food for themselves and their children. But Refuge are working to change that, with fundraising efforts improving the quality of life of an incredible 92% of survivors who reach out to the charity.
In total, Bold is Beautiful has raised over $26.6M globally and nearly £2m to support women and children in the UK and Ireland. Sarah says that the success of the programme and funds raised is one of the things she is most proud of, explaining “We’ll pass the two million pound mark this year. Since we started raising money for Refuge, we have raised the equivalent of three and a half years of a refuge staying open.”
What Benefit has been able to demonstrate with their Bold is Beautiful programme is how impactful the spending power of women can be and how that can be channelled into worthy causes to truly uplift all women. It’s clear that when a business truly embraces every facet of its mission, it not only helps the brand thrive, but creates a huge positive effect on many lives.
Your Wax Gives Back with Benefit continues throughout the month of May at their in-store salons. Book your brow wax with Benefit during May and £5 from each service will be donated to the brand’s charity partners.