Doing Some Beauty Good (Beauty Gift Ideas With Charitable Tie-Ins)

The Holiday bustle is starting to buzz. and for many of us, I think the Season is going to be even more of a reprieve than ever. While we anticipate the season, we not only think about giving gifts to our friends and loved ones, but we also consider spreading love, help, and kindness to people and causes that need it most. Luckily, there are many beauty brands out there that not only focus on making great product but also on making a positive impact on the world and in some cases even donate a percentage of their proceeds to charity. Today I want to shed some light on some of these brands and products that I would be proud to both give and receive and appreciate for both the product itself and for the difference that getting that item made for someone else.

The 7 Virtues Peace Blend Box: The 7 Virtues is an indie luxury natural perfume brand that combines both the beauty and aromatherapeutic impact of high quality essential oils with the importance of social justice and environmental sustainability. Sourcing ingredients from countries such as Madagascar, Afghanistan, and Haiti, the 7 Virtues seeks to help these nations recover and thrive from war, natural disasters, and poverty while also working to provide an ongoing profitable and ethical job for farmers across the lands in harvesting the ingredients to make each perfume . Each fragrance's proceeds go to a charitable component specific to the country from which the ingredients come. For example, my favorite in the box, Vanilla Woods, features Vanilla from Madagascar, and a percentage of every sale goes to help provide healthcare and throughout the region the vanilla is sourced from. Other favorites include Rose Amber, a spicy rose fragrance that helps to secure women's equality in Afghanistan and Grapefruit Lime, a bright and zesty clean fragrance of sweet grapefruit and green tea that blends ingredients from Israel and Iran and helps to support peacemaking missions in the Middle East. In total, the perfume box features 7 out of 8 fragrances currently available from the brand, and there is truly a scent in their for everyone from clean and woodsy to fruity to both lighter and deeper florals. The perfume box is sold exclusively at Sephora online for $29 USD.

M.A.C Viva Glam Lipsticks: One of the most well-known collaborations between beauty and charity is the M.A.C AIDS Fund, a charity focused on AIDS research, treatment, advocacy, and awareness-building programs within the United States and worldwide. MAC has created a series of permanently available lipsticks (3 in total a nude, a plum, and the iconic cool-toned brick Viva Glam red) in which 100% of $19 USD cost of these lipsticks is donated to the MAC AIDS Fund. Recently, however, the M.A.C AIDS fund has expanded its outreach to also include some contributions to relief efforts for women and children affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. You can find the M.A.C, Viva Glam shades on both the M.A.C. Website and at Ulta.

L'Occitane Gift Sets: In the world of makeup and skincare. it is easy to think of "beauty" as being entirely visual, but famed French bath and body brand L'occitane works to help change that especially for the blind and the visually-impaired. With every limited edition item they create, including holiday gift sets, $5 USD is donated to the American School for the Blind and other blindness advocacy causes. The brand also hosts specially-designed perfume classes for the blind in the brand's headquarters in the Provence region in France. To know if your L'Occitane gift choice is one that will benefit the School for the Blind, simply look for a gold triangle with a blue eye drawn in the center on the outer packaging.

These are just some of the many beauty brands that use their influence to spread good and positvity to their customers and throughout the world. And if I come across any more, I will create a follow-up article to this one this Holiday Season. Happy gift-giving.