With the constant influx of latest beauty products released daily, you’d think shopping for products could be a breeze. Nevertheless, for the 1.3 billion people diagnosed with various types of disability, the experience is entirely different. From hard-to-open lids and brushes with no grip, to unidentifiable products in aisles, the design of a product holds an enormous weight on the subject of usability and lots of products are inaccessible to those with disabilities. In the previous couple of years, the concept of accessibility in beauty has come far by way of getting the conversation began, but how much have these discussions actually translated into change? Within the UK alone, the spending power of individuals with disabilities is £274 billion annually, yet only a few beauty brands have developed specific strategies to cater to this consumer group. Consequently, the experience of shopping and using personal care and grooming products generally is a each day challenge.

“Looking for beauty products as a blind person may be near not possible,” says Halima Ahmed, who was diagnosed with late-onset blindness on the age of 24. “Not simply with the ability to pick up a shampoo in your hair type is frustrating.” Ahmed says that when more brands began engaging with individuals with disabilities, she was initially enthusiastic. “There have been beauty campaigns with individuals with disabilities, with visual disabilities and the brands were starting to discuss accessibility for people like me but I don’t know the way much further it has gone beyond this point.”

It’s one thing to initiate conversation and one other thing to know and implement change. In the previous couple of years, plenty of mainstream brands have launched projects and products that promise more accessibility in the sweetness space, yet many remain a speaking point. Lancôme introduced HAPTA, a primary of its kind computerised make-up applicator created for anyone with hand-motion disorders and stroke-related motion challenges last 12 months. It was named TIME Best Inventions 2023 under the accessibility category, despite some criticism from the disabled community over its £199 price tag. Originally marketed for release by the top of 2023, as we enter 2024 no concrete plans for an official launch date have been announced.

This isn’t a one-off occurrence. In 2021, Unilever revealed the “world’s first inclusive” deodorant specifically designed for individuals with limited arm mobility and sight. Beyond receiving multiple awards for design, innovation and marketing, the prototype never made it beyond testing and onto the shelves to make a difference for the people it was designed for. After some negative feedback from test users, in 2022 the brand said it was going back to the drawing board.

Outside of heritage and company firms, there are just a few indie brands working to create accessible beauty products. Celebrity make-up artist Terri Bryant founded Guide Beauty in 2020 after Parkinson’s impacted her ability to use make-up and the brand has turn into considered one of the trailblazers modernising inclusive beauty. There’s also Human Beauty, founded by Millie Flemington-Clare, which goals to fill the gap within the industry. “I founded Human Beauty out of the frustration most disabled beauty lovers face, that my products weren’t accessible and I never saw anyone like me within the campaigns (I used to be tube fed until the age of 18),” she says. Human Beauty actively involves disabled individuals in testing and designing products to make sure inclusivity is on the core of the brand. Kohl Kreatives, meanwhile, creates make-up brushes designed to support those with motor disabilities. 

These area of interest indie brands are pushing to make change, but there’s still a protracted technique to go especially in mainstream beauty. “While progress has been made, there’s still much work to be done,” as Flemington-Clare says. For content creator Eliza Rain, this can come from including individuals with disabilities – and subsequently an understanding of the way it impacts one’s life – within the room. “[What’s needed is] including more disabled people within the design of the products and ensuring those individuals are intersectional disabled individuals with quite a lot of different needs,” they are saying. 

In 2021, Procter & Gamble brought on content creator Lucy Edwards, who’s blind, as an envoy for Pantene, and the corporate has also been working with Sumaira Latif for a few years. Latif, diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa – a rare genetic condition affecting vision – works behind the scenes to assist evolve product design to make sure usability for people with cognitive, sensory, and physical disabilities. Projects that she has been an element of are Olay’s Easy Open Lids for people with mobility difficulties. For blind and low-vision consumers, there’s Herbal Essences’ raised dots and strips, while the Clearblue Be My Eyes app allows users to have their pregnancy results read aloud. 

Elsewhere, brands similar to Bioderma, Humanrace, L’Occitane and Dr. Jart have begun adding braille to their packaging. Too Faced recently introduced QR codes to their packaging to assist with identification of products. “You’ll be able to’t imagine the difference the introduction of Braille and QR codes on packaging has made,” says Ahmed. “It’s been a protracted while since I went out searching for beauty products alone. I can’t consider I’m in a position to do something so simple as pick up a cleanser for my skin type alone.”

Ultimately, everyone agrees that progress is being made, it’s just not enough yet. “One token disabled people isn’t inclusion, products aren’t accessible in the event that they’re not inexpensive” says Rachel Charlton-Dailey, journalist, creator and campaigner. Accessibility can’t be approached as if it were one dimensional – a one size suits all solution. 

“True inclusivity in the sweetness industry requires a holistic 360 approach. Brands have to transcend token representation and actively involve the disabled community in product development, marketing and decision-making processes,” stresses Flemington-Clare. “By involving the disabled community during decision-making processes brands can avoid brand-damaging situations.”

Sometimes small changes can have big impacts: a facial designed to take note of light and sound sensitivities or adding alternative text to social media posts or products with handles designed for higher grip for more control. Making the sweetness industry a more inclusive space may sound like a hefty task on paper, however it’s no small pay-off when it significantly impacts 1.3 billion people across the globe..