So we leverage our connections, influence and skills to power Beauty Banks.' An average delivery to a charity, catering for about 150 people, is worth around £500, and contains items many of us take for granted including soap and sanitary products.Īnd, as interest in self-care and community has soared, so too has concern for the planet. 'Both Sali and I work in the beauty industry and know there is a lot of waste and, most importantly, a tremendous amount of generosity and kindness. 'We were furious and frustrated when we learned about hygiene poverty, so we decided to do something about it,' writes Jones, on the charity’s website.

Their plan: to ask their contacts to donate hygiene products to those in need via partnerships with more than 100 registered foodbanks, domestic abuse charities, homeless shelters, schools, NHS trusts and care-leaver associations. Jones and Hughes had first-hand experience of the surplus the industry produces. Young people can be particularly affected, say the duo, skipping school rather than going into class without washing their hair. Founded in 2018 by beauty writer Sali Hughes and beauty PR Jo Jones, Beauty Banks aims to tackle hygiene poverty in the UK and to establish being clean as a basic right. The pandemic is driving awareness and approval for more companies that support people and communities. 'To me, wellness is about looking after yourself, first and foremost, and that shouldn't be exclusive.' Happy Paul's sustainable, vegan products – including an uplifting roll-on blend of bergamot, lemon and eucalyptus – encourage simple, rewarding acts of selfcare, with some of the profits going to mental-health charity Young Minds. Yet wellness has become a luxury commodity afforded to the few.' The brand was created, he says, to be accessible to all. 'I've suffered from depression since my early teens and I've experienced first-hand the transformative power that formulations, product and spa treatments can have. 'Happy Paul's journey has been like therapy,' says Gerrard. This resonates deeply with Paul Gerrard, founder of Happy Paul, a range of mood-enhancing male skincare. It might be that they go and do something kind for themselves, or are able to see their challenges from a different perspective as they have achieved some emotional flexibility around an issue.' 'I have witnessed women going through severe life challenges start to behave differently after a makeover and a chat. 'Certain language techniques, active listening, reframes and questioning help a person calm down while I do their makeup, enabling them to think more clearly,' Pycroft told Glamour. She now offers combined makeovers and therapy. 'Makeupfulness' is where makeup and mindfulness merge. When A-list makeup artist Lee Pycroft noticed rising stress levels among her clients, she retrained as a psychotherapist. In troubled times, some beauty professionals have responded imaginatively. The pandemic has seen a spike in mental health issues – with 76 million more cases of anxiety, and 53 million more cases of depressive disorder, according to Unicef and Gallup. From a nurturing new face cream to online meditation, beauty and wellbeing provide survival mechanisms, opportunities to take stock and rebalance during anxiety-filled times. Rituals of beauty, wellbeing and self-care permeate cultures across history, encompassing ideas of identity and expression, transformation and restoration, cleansing and healing, culture and worth.

Boom cosmetics