Redefining Beauty: COVID-19

As many beauty retailers shut their physical locations in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak, brands are responding and repurposing resourcing to not only prevent the spread but to care for those impacted by it.

Adapting service offerings, brands are looking at how they can reach out to consumers and still cater to consumer needs. Keeping the relationship between the brand the shopper personalised and direct, New York ethical beauty brand Credo, is offering online consultations with their store advisors. Giving the beauty advice and recommendations using online chats and even going as far as to provide numbers to text post-consultation.

Other brands who would otherwise rely on physical locations are also creating new and innovative modes of reaching shoppers. Our friends at Naked Retail have taken their curated product offering and turned them into care packages made for isolation. Created specifically for aiding mental and physical health during social isolations, shoppers can buy The Ultimate Set, For Him, For Her and Immunity Check packages with all the products needed to keep you in tip-top shape at home.

Engaging in the live-stream trend which has taken over our social accounts, brands are bringing modes of escape and education to our socials. Spearheaded by Chinese brands like Little Red Box and Douyin beauty tutorials are helping consumers find creativity from their own homes. Skincare has continued to be steady in turbulent times, with brands like Oskia live-streaming skincare advice with experts and influencers.

British high street health and beauty brand Boots are reimagining their innovation rich heritage, offering trusted and informative advice for consumers via their social channels. Taking a more informative and educational approach, Lush has also followed suit launching hand washing initiatives and online content to help consumers understand how to protect themselves and others.  Body Shop has also taken a more community-centric approach, senior citizen communities in the US and Canada with products to help these struggling facilities stay healthy.

Brands both big and small are supporting organisations, with giants like LVMH and Coty as well as smaller brands like nail company Orly turning to their factories to change production to creating sanitiser products which are in short supply world-wide. Hair brand Curls has also adjusted their product production, now making masks for health workers dealing directly with coronavirus patients.

The beauty industry is stepping up to offer moments of relief in such an uncertain and unforeseen time. Beauty brands Codex and Summer days are giving away free products to health workers to alleviate dry skin caused by constant hand washing.

The world crisis has become a moment of generosity and caring for many businesses. Donations have been made by an overwhelming amount of brands to help cope with the ongoing crisis. From indie brands like SOKO Glam giving 10% of their sales to causes to beauty conglomerates like Unilever donating a massive $20million giving to causes, brands are adopting new approaches to working with charities.

A true reflection of the resourceful, innovative and ever-evolving industry we all love, the beauty industry has stepped up for its community and will continue to forge forward and reimagine the way we connect, commune and care for each other.