Adaptive Beauty Products Are On The Rise — & It’s About Time

The fashion and beauty industries have long fallen short in representing people living with disabilities. In Australia, there have been a few advancements. For example, the disability community can now more easily find adaptive fashion options and genuine representation; Australian adaptive fashion brands make it easy to shop from an Aussie IP address without having to pay exorbitant shipping rates or even head to the store, and 2022 marked the first-ever adaptive runway show at AAFW.

However, the beauty industry and its many scientific and technological innovations have taken more time to blossom. But finally, we're starting to see a wave of brands begin to make a change. From cosmetic giants like L'Oréal and Estée Lauder to small businesses, the adaptive beauty industry has great prospects. Ahead, we explore some of the products you can currently shop for, as well as innovations to look forward to.

Kohl Kreatives' motto is: ‘You can give a fish to a village and feed them once, or teach them how to fish and feed them for a lifetime.' With this sentiment in mind, the brand has endeavoured to empower its consumers with a range of adaptive makeup brushes and stencils that take into account the challenges that come with a lack of mobility.

The brand has considered everything from handle ergonomics to the shape of the brushes' bristles; for example, the eye makeup brushes in the Feast Your Eyes collection have square-shaped handles to stop them from rolling away when you lay them down.

Vamp Stamp's double-ended eyeliner stamp was developed for people with mobility issues who still want to be able to "draw [a] cat eye sharp enough to kill a man," as Taylor Swift would say. The rubberised stamp is made to be easier to use with any gel eyeliner, while indicators on the applicator instruct the user on which end to use for accurate application on the left and right eye.

Lancôme announced in January of 2023 at the Consumer Electronics Show that they would be releasing a beauty tech innovation called HAPTA in the not-too-distant future that's designed for people with hand-motion disorders, arthritis, Huntington’s Disease and stroke-related motion challenges. It utilises sensors, motion-stabilising technology and an ergonomically-designed easy-grip handle to minimise strain during makeup application of products such as lipstick and mascara.

Estée Lauder Companies has introduced a Voice-Enabled Makeup Assistant to the beauty market in the UK, and seeks to expand the app's global availability. The app uses AI voice-instruction technology to assist the visually impaired with their makeup application, and even comments on things such as how even their foundation looks and if their lipstick has gone 'outside the lines' of their lips.

“We are committed to building innovative technology solutions that make beauty truly inclusive to everyone. We are thrilled to bring the experience of independently applying makeup to the millions of people that are visually impaired,” said Michael Smith, Chief Information Officer at The Estée Lauder Companies. “Technology is a powerful tool to drive inclusion and we are delighted to be first to market with this pioneering app.”

Guide Beauty is the lovechild of makeup artists Terri Bryant and actress Selma Blair. Both Bryant and Blair have mobility issues after receiving Parkinson's and Multiple Sclerosis diagnoses respectively and developed a range of makeup brushes and cosmetics to help them adapt their beauty routines. Unfortunately, the Guide Beauty range is currently only available to shop in the US via their website guidebeauty.com, but the brand seeks to expand its consumer base to international markets.

"Was Rare Beauty packaging specifically designed for people with dexterity challenges?," poses Rare Beauty's FAQ section. "Each Rare Beauty product was designed to Selena's personal preferences to emphasise ease of use," reads the brand's website. "While we’re thrilled to hear that some individuals with dexterity challenges find the design helps them open and use our products more easily, we have not conducted official testing on the packaging for these claims. Ease of use and inclusivity are highly prioritized at Rare Beauty and it's something we're continuing to test and explore in the future."

Although Rare Beauty's founder, Selena Gomez, has never outrightly admitted to purposefully creating adaptive packaging, her Lupus diagnosis has left her with hand tremors that no doubt played a part in the product's design. Plus, the brand's best-selling liquid blush found an unlikely fandom amongst the disabled community when they discovered that the round-topped lids were perfect for mobility-challenged individuals.