The British Beauty Council is now pleased to share our first report looking at diversity and inclusion in the beauty industry.
On 14 November 2019, the British Beauty Council hosted a Diversity and Inclusivity Panel Talk and Think Tank in collaboration with Glasgow Caledonian University’s British School of Fashion. The event included two panel talks looking at consumer trends and needs and commercial imperatives for business. Attendees were then split into three groups and given a list of discussion topics to initiate discussion on various aspects of diversity and inclusivity.
The Diversity and Inclusivity panel talk was moderated by Head of Diversity and Inclusion for International Markets at Walgreen Boots Alliance, Fiona Ibáñez-Leach, joined by industry thought leaders Kay Montano, Ateh Jewel, Anita Bhagwandas, Denise Rabor, Navaz Batliwalla and Trishna Daswaney. A Think Tank session then followed which included a diverse audience made up of postgraduate students and industry members from The British School of Fashion. Addressing issues surrounding diversity and inclusion underpins the British Beauty Council’s Reputation Pillar.
The sessions delivered valuable insights and have now gone onto help produce the Council’s first Diversity & Inclusion report. Split into the two focus points from the panel talks, the report takes a close look at:
Why inclusivity in beauty matters
- The commercial imperatives and opportunities for beauty businesses
- The beauty industry’s approach to inclusivity today
- And how inclusivity can drive brand innovations
And consumer trends and needs
- How beauty ideals are represented today
- How the beauty industry can better understand the individual needs of consumers of all identities
- What can be done to ensure inclusivity remains a sustainable approach and the barriers to be overcome.
A sentiment shared by all participants in the discussion is that the beauty industry should reflect society as a whole and genuinely represent the entire target market. It is time for our industry to shift its focus to empowering the consumer, to promoting positive self-image and celebrating all the diverse forms of unique beauty. As beauty professionals and brands, we have the power to drive real change to consistently ensure inclusivity, diversity and holistic wellbeing are truly supported.
You can access the report as well as other British Beauty Council publications from our reports library
Why does an inclusive beauty industry matter to you? Join in the discussion over on Instagram: @britishbeautycouncil.
