With the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the British beauty industry is coming together to support various charities and organisations who are working to get support, including personal care products, to Ukraine and to refugees in neighbouring countries.

Some charities and organisations with fundraisers, initiatives and appeals:

• Choose Love has launched the Ukraine Crisis Fundraiser, with donations going to supporting projects (which meet Choose Love’s criteria) who are providing vital aid and services to those still in, and fleeing, the country. Find out more here.
• The Beauty Banks is currently supporting several UK-based charities who are collecting essentials for people who have left their homes for neighbouring countries. More information will be shared in coming days here.
• The Toiletries Amnesty are providing large-scale donations of essential hygiene products to refugees in Ukraine, Poland, Romania and Moldova. They have also launched a fundraiser to cover the cost of storage for the donations and transport costs. Find out more here.
• The Disasters Emergency Committee has launched the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal for families who have left their homes with only the items they were able to carry. Find out how you can help here.
• The Red Cross’s Ukraine Crisis Appeal uses donations to help people who have been affected to get food, water, first aid, shelter, medicines and warm clothes. Find out more here.

The Charity Commission and Fundraising Regulator have urged the public to ‘give safely’ to registered charities helping and supporting those affected by the invasion of Ukraine. People looking to donate to causes working in Ukraine and neighbouring countries, are advised to make a few simple checks before giving:

• check the charity’s name and registration number at gov.uk/checkcharity. Most charities with an annual income of £5,000 or more must be registered, and you can use the advanced search function to identify charities working in specific regions and countries;
• make sure the charity is genuine before giving any financial information;
• be careful when responding to emails or clicking on links within them;
• contact or find out more online about the charity that you’re seeking to donate to or work with to understand how they are spending their funds;
• look out for the Fundraising Badge on charity fundraising materials, this is the logo which shows that a charity has committed to fundraise in line with the Code of Fundraising Practice.

It is understandable if you are experiencing anxiety due to the recent ongoing news. The Mental Health Foundation have compiled a list of resources to help, which can be accessed here.