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In the last few years we’ve undertaken partnerships with organisations like Planet Patrol and TerraCycle, who have been helping us innovate with packaging, while working towards a cleaner planet. Our latest partnership however, focuses on the people living within our planet: those who don’t have access to enough personal hygiene products, including skincare.
The shift towards at-home selfcare.
2020 has, perhaps unsurprisingly, seen a shift towards selfcare like never before. With bars, restaurants and many recreational activities alternating between periods of open and close, drawing a bath and relaxing with an indulgent mask can make staying in more bearable. But, what if you don’t have access to the most basic personal hygiene, never mind more indulgent options?
And, the disparity in distribution.
That’s where Beauty Banks comes in. Their research has shown that hygiene poverty and hygiene shaming is worsening due to coronavirus, on top of statistics taken from their site below:
44% of teachers have witnessed children being bullied because of hygiene shaming
39% has witnessed children’s mental health suffer due to hygiene shaming
38% of teachers have offered pupils hygiene items like deodorant and toothpaste
Who are Beauty Banks?
A UK-Based charity founded by beauty industry icons Jo Jones and Sali Hughes, Beauty Banks describe themselves as “Foodbanks, but we supply personal care and hygiene essentials instead of food, to people in the UK who can't afford to be clean.” Continuing to say “we all have the right to be clean because our physical health, mental health and wellbeing depends on it.”
At REN Clean Skincare couldn’t agree more. Not only are we a purpose-driven brand that strive to make positive change, but the sensory and aromatherapeutic properties of many the ingredients we use in our formulas are known to help uplift or relax the mind. Often what we need in uncertain times, when lacking many other distractions.
How you can make a change.
At the beginning of our campaign: The Big Clean Up, you can choose two gifts for every purchase £60 and over with the option to donate one or both to Beauty Banks, which will then be distributed to charitable organisations throughout the UK who, in turn, distribute them to the clients who need them. And there are other ways you can donate to Beauty Banks, too.
The waste-conscious Wishlist.
Easho, an independent, family run British business, hosts the Beauty Banks wishlist on their site, allowing you to choose between purchasing vouchers or specific personal care items to donate. Not only is this a simple way to help, but it’s great for the planet, too. They store items unpackaged at their warehouse until they have a large consignment of Beauty Banks donations to ship together - saving on bubble wrap, jiffy bags and boxes, as well as reducing petrol miles compared to sending each product individually.
Make a monetary donation.
Beauty Banks also operate a gofundme page where you can donate whatever you can directly. Originally with a goal of reaching £25,000, donations have surpassed this milestone and with your help it can keep rising, helping more children and adolescents access personal hygiene products, with a view to end hygiene and poverty shaming to better, not just their school experience, but quality of life, too.
Other ways to create change.
Beauty Banks are a people-powered grassroots movement - and you can volunteer to get hands on with them. Costing nothing - except your commitment to change - you can become a Beauty Banker, either privately (collecting items between your friends and family) or a public banker (inviting customers to donate via your business).
All information on how to get involved can be found on the Beauty Banks website. And, with that we’ll leave you with a quote we can’t help but love from their website, “You can wish for change, hope for change, pray for change or you can drive the change you want to see…” Enough said.
