So, you may have heard, we're selling limited edition run of graphic tees that feature nine women. When I came up with the idea of celebrating some of the greatest female founders in the beauty industry, past, present, and future, I thought of each representative as a mini case study. Each one of them changed the industry in a fundamental way in such that their mark is still everywhere you look (or will be very soon). I hope you enjoy my blurbs about each of them, and will include links for you to learn more. -Karen
Anita Roddick, founded The Body Shop and advocated for ethical consumerism before it was popular or trendy. Back when she started it out, it was either people OR profit. Who cares what goes into a product if it makes you money? Who cares how you treat your employees? Well, Anita Roddick cared.
Here are the top two practices that originated with her and continue to be extremely relevant in the beauty industry:
Animal rights:
From the very beginning she made products without animal testing. The thing about industry norms, is that, no one thinks twice about "standard" practices. It is so hard to take a stand and question the status quo."It's always been done this way," they men in suits will say.
Human rights:
Fair trade? No one did this either. Why would you want to procure products at a higher cost? Well, because no bottom line should be at the expense of human lives and dignity. Supply chain transparency has been slow to gain ground and permeate into all businesses. Being responsible for where your product comes from isn't easy and it isn't cheap. She did this in the 70s. She went to meet the people behind the commodities she used as ingredients in her products.
Ugh, she was such a bad-ass.
Feminist, environmentalist, activist, and entrepreneur. She didn't do anything the way it's always been done. She did it her way, and it worked.
Read more about Anita:
Next up: Bobbi Brown
Previously: Estee Lauder
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