Recently, the Employment Service Guidance Center of the China Disabled Persons' Federation, the China Association of the Blind and JD.com jointly launched the "Beautiful and Barrier-free" program.
As part of the "Beautiful and Barrier-free" plan launched this time, in order to better meet the beauty needs of visually impaired people in makeup and skin care, JD.com has joined hands with well-known beauty brands such as Han Shu, Perfect Diary, Pechoin, Tangerine, Leaven Color, Winona, etc., to jointly launch "barrier-free" beauty and skin care products, including lipstick, skin care gift boxes, essences, sunscreens, toners and other products, and relying on unique flexible supply chain capabilities, customized exclusive Braille and QR codes for beauty products, so that the visually impaired can understand product information. In addition to launching the barrier-free products customized by these brands, JD.com has also opened a barrier-free screen reading function to further facilitate the purchase of visually impaired people.
Today, as the beauty industry focuses on inclusion and diversity, some beauty companies are gradually paying attention to the needs of a wide range of people with disabilities and returning the right to pursue beauty.
01
How much do we need "accessible beauty"?
What most people don't know is the fact that people with disabilities are the world's largest minority.
According to the 2022 World Health Organization, about 1.3 billion people worldwide have severe disabilities, accounting for about one-sixth of the global population. In addition, according to the authoritative medical journal "Lancet", the number of blind people in the world will rise from 43.3 million in 2019 to 61 million by 2025.
In China, the latest data released by the National Bureau of Statistics shows that by the end of 2023, the total number of people with disabilities in mainland China has reached nearly 86 million, accounting for 6.34% of the total population.
6.34%, which means minority, invisibility and silence, means that in most cases, their needs are often not "seen".
People with disabilities are constantly in the way of beauty. For example, in terms of product design, the overly complicated opening mechanism or the difficult to squeeze hose make it difficult for people with limited hand functions to complete it independently. According to L'Oréal, around 50 million people worldwide are unable to perform fine movements in their hands and arms, including the use of beauty products. The lack of Braille assistance makes it even more inconvenient for many visually impaired people to use it. In terms of advertising and marketing, few brands will show models with disabilities and promote the needs of people with disabilities.
A 2019 survey by Procter & Gamble found that only 4% of beauty or personal care brands launched products specifically for people with disabilities. Monica Rastogi, executive director of cultural relevance, inclusion and diversity at Estée Lauder UK & Ireland, has said the industry's "disability inclusion" practice is in its early stages.
In the beauty world, which advocates diversity, inclusion, respect and equality, there are still unilluminated areas. In the face of "crippled beauty", beauty companies that shout about inclusiveness still need to do more.
02
How to connect to the barrier-free world of beauty?
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities makes it clear that accessibility should not only be viewed in the context of equality and non-discrimination, but also as a means of social investment and an integral part of the sustainable development agenda.
It is gratifying that beauty giants and domestic brands have gradually paid attention to the beauty needs of people with disabilities and made more attempts in the field of accessible beauty.
Incorporating Braille logos into product designs and packaging is a window for beauty brands to open up the field of accessible beauty.
As early as 1997, the L'Occitane brand first printed braille on product packaging to make it easier for blind people to choose products, and today almost all products sold by L'Occitane around the world are marked with the name category of the product in Braille.
The domestic brand Winona has incorporated Braille design on all product packaging boxes, including trial packs. In addition, brands such as Rare Sets, Sanban, and Medrepair have also incorporated braille designs into their products.
In 2018, the British brand Kohl Kreatives launched a set of makeup brushes called Flex collection, each brush can be independent of the tabletop, and has an easy-to-grip handle, excellent flexibility of the brush head and placement stability, which well meets the needs of special groups with Parkinson's, cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy. In 2021, Olay, a P&G brand, launched barrier-free packaging for products developed specifically for people with disabilities.
With the rapid development of technology, beauty companies are applying technology to product design. L'Oréal has launched HAPTA, the world's first smart handheld makeup applicator for people with movement impairments in the hands and arms, and L'Oréal Brow Magic, which allows users to create an eyebrow look that is tailored to their face shape in seconds.
Guive Balooch, head of global innovation and technology incubation at L'Oréal, said in an interview that about 1 in 10 consumers are still unable to use cosmetics because of hand and arm disabilities or movement disorders, and cannot use their hands to apply products and paint beautiful makeup because of arm tremors - in the United States, for example, 43 million people out of less than 400 million people suffer from hand and arm movement disorders. As consumers age and the population becomes more and more long-lived, more and more consumers will face this problem.
As inclusion and diversity become increasingly important, the beauty industry is on the verge of a revolution. But so far, the future of accessible beauty isn't entirely rosy. It is intuitive that barrier-free beauty requires a huge investment in R&D, and it is not a cost-effective strategic layout. More businesses need to work together to improve accessibility for people with disabilities, and we look forward to a world of accessible beauty where all consumers have access to products that meet their needs and integrate into their daily lives."