Hi gay, here’s how beauty brands are celebrating Pride

For the past few years, the start of June has been signalled by the arrival of the rainbows. Popping up on Ikea sofas, fluffy Uggs and eyeshadow palettes, on the logos of corporate banks, baseball teams and fast food chains, they were there to mark Pride month, a time dedicated to remembering the Stonewall Riots and for celebrating and standing in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. They were also there – in the case of many of the brands who adopted the symbol for the month – to capitalise on queer identities for money. For a time, it seemed like companies believed aligning with LGBTQ+ folks was a way to positively impact both their profit margin and brand image.

This year, things have been a little different. There have been noticeably fewer rainbow logos and vague slogans about love and identity. Queer influencers and content creators have spoken out about receiving less work than they usually do for Pride month, work which has previously kept them going for the rest of the year. Meanwhile, Pride events across the US are struggling to secure sponsorship. Rainbow capitalism, it seems, is waning. The timing of this quiet withdrawal of support is not random – it coincides with what has been months of attacks on the queer and trans community in Western countries. In America, nearly 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced this year, while in the UK “equalities minister” Kemi Badenoch is considering a reform that would rob the trans community of vital rights and protections.

This anti-LGBTQ+ wave has also translated into a commercial boycott on brands that align themselves with the community. Even before June, far-right supporters boycotted Bud Light over a collaboration with influencer Dylan Mulvaney causing sales to drop significantly. Meanwhile, Target removed Pride-theme products after protestors confronted employees and destroyed displays in stores. A customer at a Target in Florida threatened to shoot an employee for wearing a company-issued pride shirt, while several other locations received bomb threats.

Pride collections have not been without criticism, often coming under fire for capitalising on and commodifying queer identities for profit and offering very little in return. Sometimes the optics of a rainbow logo would hide the ugly truth of companies who have donated to anti-LGBTQ+ causes and politicians like Walmart and Amazon, or who had no queer employees behind the scenes.

“The worry with brands releasing Pride collections is that when Pride month passes, and the attention moves off of the cause, LGBTQ+ people will continue suffering discrimination and violence,” Amelia Abraham wrote for Dazed in 2019. This was certainly true of Bud Light, who Mulvaney says largely abandoned her during the backlash and threats of violence she received thanks to their partnership. “For a company to hire a trans person and then not publicly stand by them is worse, in my opinion, than not hiring a trans person at all,” said Mulvaney.

Criticism of pride collections often stemmed from the people wanting brands to do more – commit to being an ally all year around, hiring LGBTQ+ people behind the scenes as well as in front of the camera, and so on – not less. Because, for all the criticisms of pandering or ugly designs, it remains important for many people to see that there is mainstream support for them. “As a queer kid who grew up in a Muslim country, seeing the rainbow flag championed in any capacity – no matter how tacky – always sparks joy,” Shaf Shajahan told Dazed last year. “For every privileged white gay that complains about Primark’s ‘disgusting pride sock collection’, there is a POC queer person in the world who would do anything to have a pair, or worse, be persecuted for wearing one.”

If there is one industry that needs to stand by the LGBTQ+ people, it is beauty. Beauty is an industry that cannot be separated from the community, so entwined are the two – from the drag make-up that has influenced so many beauty trends, to the pioneering gay men who shaped the industry like Kevyn Aucoin, to the way make-up is used by many queer people to express their identities. When it comes to pride collections, it’s beauty that feels most relevant and organic in its engagement.

So, for this Pride month and ahead of London Pride tomorrow, here is a roundup of the beauty brands who are supporting the LGBTQ+ community, in big and small ways. Corporate support and rainbow capitalism will only get us so far, and, ultimately, is not the way to queer liberation. But companies giving into the violence of a small but vocal minority by abandoning the LGBTQ+ community will only further empower and embolden these homophobic and transphobic supporters to escalate their hate.

To all the brands that have used Pride and the LGBTQ+ community to sell products and profit off of in the past, now is the time to do your part and show up for us. If you were waiting for an opportunity to prove that the support was real, this is it. Put your money where your mouth is and stand up alongside the community. Solidarity means standing with us through the tough times as well as the prosperous. 

Aesop

For the past few years, Aesop has been focusing its Pride campaign on the written word, emptying out the products from a few key locations around the world and filling them instead with books from the LGBTQ+ community which visitors can pick up for free. This year, London’s Queer Library is focused on texts once forgotten amid cultural shifts and evolving prejudices.

Byoma

Skincare brand Byoma will be donating $20,000 to GLSEN in support of LGBTQ+ youth.

Cocofloss

Sustainable dental floss brand Cocofloss partnered with Callen-Lorde, the only primary care centre in NYC created specifically to serve LGBTQ+ people. The brand pledged to donate $5 for every purchase of the Rainbow Sampler, Cocobrush Rainbow Set and the Happiness Set in mixed fragrances between June 1–7.

Garnier

Garnier has teamed up with Just Like Us, an initiative that works to support schools and empower young people within the LGBTQ+ community nationwide to support School Diversity Week, the UK-wide celebration of LGBTQ+ equality for young people. In 2023, Garnier will be donating £50,000* through sales of their limited edition Micellar Water.

Glow Recipe

Glow Recipe’s limited rainbow edition of its Watermelon Pore-Tight Toner raises money for the It Gets Better Project, an LGBTQ+ non-profit. The brand has committed to donating $15k in monetary donations and $15k in product donations in support of its mission.

Good Dye Young

Hayley Williams’ brand that she set up with longtime hairstyle Brian O’Connor supported the Tennessee Equality Project, which advocates for the equal rights of LGBTQ+ people in Tennessee this year. The brand donated a percentage of sales from its Rainbow Kit.

Goodparts and Taimi

Taimi, an inclusive LGBTQ+ dating app, partnered with Goodparts, a queer-owned sexual wellness and personal care brand, to create a line-up of limited edition lubricants, with artwork from LGBTQ+ artists. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Ali Forney Center: LGBTQ+ Youth Shelter and Services.

Got2b

got2b will be attending the London Pride parade on July 1 with a stall in Soho Square. Two hairstylists will be there to give proud attendees hair braids and styling using a selection of their products.

Harry’s

Writer and poet Saeed Jones partnered with personal-care brand Harry’s on a limited-edition Shave Set, for which Jones has crafted an exclusive poem, titled “Repeat After Me”. For each set sold, Harry’s is donating £5 to their longtime partner Albert Kennedy Trust, with an additional £10k donation to support AKT’s Rainbow Starter Packs (helping young people into independent living).

Human Beauty

Inclusive beauty brand Human Beauty champions accessible design and features genuine disability representation in its campaigns. During the months of June and July, the brand is donating 10 per cent of all sales from the Make-up Therapy palette to ParaPride, an organisation dedicated to creating safe and inclusive spaces for LGBTQ+ disabled individuals.

indē wild 

indē wild will be donating ten per cent of global sales from their PM Sunset Restore Serum to The Naz Foundation, an organisation dedicated to LGBTQ+ advocacy and equality in India.

Inked by Dani

Inked by Dani is continuing their ongoing partnership with The Trevor Project again this year. Five per cent of total proceeds from sales of the Rainbow Temporary Tattoo Pack will be donated to directly support the work of the organisation.

JVN Hair

In honour of Pride, ten per cent of profits (up to $10,000) from the JVN x GLSEN Pride Hair Set during June will go towards GLSEN, a nonprofit working to create a safe and inclusive K-12 learning environment for LGBTQ+ youth in the US.

Kérastase

For Pride this year, haircare brand Kérastase has pledged a $25,000 donation to The Trevor Project alongside a limited-edition rainbow version of its Elixir Ultime Original Hair Oil.

Kiehl’s

For the fourth year running, Kiehl’s has joined forces with Just Like Us, the charity that works to support and empower young people in the LGTBQ+ community. To date, Kiehl’s has donated £80,000 to support the charity’s efforts.

KimChi Chic Beauty

KimChi Chic Beauty is another brand that supports the LGBTQ+ community all year around. Two percent of all sales of the brand’s products are donated to The Trevor Project. They also have a Pride month sale with up to 25 per cent off.

Lottie London

Lottie London has partnered with the Kaleidoscope Trust, a charity working with governments and civil society organisations in the UK and abroad to effect change in the lives of LGBTQ+ people. Lottie London will be donating ten per cent of sales from the Pride collection, including the eyeshadow palettes and gems, throughout June.

MAC Cosmetics

MAC supports the LGBTQ+ community year-round with its VIVA Glam range which raises money for the MAC AIDS Fund. On top of that, earlier this month the brand had a 24-hour fundraiser that saw 100 per cent of sales from all lipstick shades donated to the cause.

Milk Makeup

Milk Makeup donates one percent of all sales to The Center, a resource that uplifts the LGBTQIA+ community in NYC, all year around and in June they doubled its donation. To date, the brand has donated over $200,000 to The Center.

Moo & Yoo

Moo & Yoo are donating five per cent of sales in June to MindOut, a LGBTQ+ mental health charity.

NYX Cosmetics

The Proud Allies for All program from NYX Cosmetics works with the Los Angeles LGBT Center all year around to provide resources to LGBTQ+ youth and allyship training to over 10,000 people.

OUAI

This year, OUAI pledged to donate $200,000 throughout June to LGBTQ+ organisations that create safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ community, including Ali Forney Center, Los Angeles LGBT Center and Strands For Trans.

Paula’s Choice

Paula’s Choice has pledged $10,000 to ILGA World, a worldwide federation of over 1,700 organisations in 160 countries dedicated to achieving equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people across the globe. The brand is also spotlighting various creators in the LGBTQIA+ community via their website and upcoming activity on social.

Peace Out

For every package of Peace Out’s rainbow acne spots sold, a $5 donation will be made to The Trevor Project.

Starface

Starface supports the LGBTQ+ community all year around with its permanent Rainbow Stars. All net proceeds of the Rainbow Stars are allocated to the Hetrick-Martin Institute for LGBTQ+ youth and the Black-led Movement Fund in the US, Black Thrive in the UK, and Black Women in Motion in Canada.

Self Space

Self Space is hosting a free post-pride event to support the community, hosted by queer-affirming psychosexual therapist, Ryan Camphino Valadas. On Thursday 11 July, the online session will be a workshop where participants can share their experiences of Pride month, celebrate moments of joy and meaningfulness and decompress and relax from any kind of overwhelm they might have experienced.

Thread beauty

Thread beauty will be donating 15 per cent of every purchase in June. The brand gives customers their choice of organisation to donate to upon checking out, with options including LGBTQ Freedom Fund, Black AIDS Institute, The Trevor Projectand Joshua Home: An LGBTQ Safe Haven. Since launching in 2021, the brand has donated over $40k.

Unilever and Superdrug

To celebrate Pride, Unilever and Superdrug have once again teamed up with LGBTQIA+ helpline Switchboard. Products from brands including Vaseline, Lynx and Simple will sport rainbow packaging and the phone number for Switchboard. Unilever are set to donate £40,000 to support Switchboard’s helpline, while Superdrug are committing a further £10,000.

3INA

3INA is donating all profits from the All The Colours Palette to It Gets Better as part of its ‘Our Right To Be Colourful’ campaign to celebrate Pride this year.