The role of beauty and personal care in LGBTQIA+ visibility
Beauty and personal care is an important category for many in the LGBTQIA+ community. Self-expression is a value held by many members, and for a significant portion, beauty products help promote this ideal.
Per a recent NIQ survey, 10% of U.S. households have a member that consider themselves to be LGBTQIA, another 18% consider themselves allies. Households that identify as members of the community spend $314 per year in this category.
The LGBTQIA+ community is made up of people from a wide variety of backgrounds, spanning all ages, ethnicities, household sizes, and incomes; there is not—or should not be—a cookie cutter approach to marketing to the LGBTQIA+ community. What really matters is being authentic and prioritizing representation in your brand marketing and strategy. Jecca Blac is a makeup brand that is a great example that accomplishes true authenticity with its free makeup consultations for transgender people and product innovations like the Correct & Conceal palette which helps cover under-eye darkness and beard shadows.
The evolution of brands as allies
Many brands in the beauty and personal care industry are considered allies to the LGBTQIA+ community.
In recent years, brands have shown their support for the community through monetary donations. These contributions to various LGBTQIA+ focused charities are often the results of sales from limited edition items sold around June for Pride month. These products not only help raise money for LGBTQIA+ organizations, they can also help bring visibility to the community. What’s more impactful are long-term commitments to the community. MAC famously has their Viva Glam campaign and capsule collections raise over $500 million to support HIV research and Glow Recipe pledge to donate $1 million to causes supporting LGBTQIA+ youth in 2022. Consumers support these companies because the company’s values align with their own.
To help foster an environment that celebrates differences and allows for self-expression, brands can continue to offer financial and promotional awareness of key issues affecting the community. Supporting the LGBTQIA+ community doesn’t have to only occur in June – Shopping LGBTQIA+ owned brands year around is a great way to show allyship.
