In today’s corporate culture there is a rise in companies giving back and the beauty industry is no exception with countless companies leading the way to improve the lives of others.
Australian owned company Jax Wax opt to support indigenous youth groups in a bid to boost their learning. It’s a matter close to the heart of its National Training Manager Michele Hetherington who has close ties with the community and is passionate about helping Aboriginal families, and importantly the community.
“Jax Wax donates a percentage from the sales of their new Australian flora range to help support indigenous youth groups in sport and learning pathways,” Michele said.
“The northern NSW town of Kempsey is a place haunted by the ghosts of its past. The people here have seen more than their fair share of tragedy and division through the years, sadly the past is not past, and many Aboriginal families still struggle with a profound sense of loss and are still subjected to racial discrimination. My Grandmother is of the stolen generation, and to be associated with a company that respects Indigenous Australian’s means a lot, not only to me but to the community. The support from Jax Wax will not only help the current generations but will benefit those for years to come,” she said.
Dermaviduals co-founder Reika Roberts is committed to making a difference in the lives of cancer patients by providing training and education programs with skincare practitioners across Australia and New Zealand.
By 2020 she aims to put in place a register of Oncology Aesthetics Practioners who have been trained and accredited in treating cancer patients pre, during and post treatments. She has enlisted the help of internationally renowned Oncology Aesthetics expert Morag Currin who will provide a series of workshops and training programs.
“Cancer is never an easy topic to talk about, let alone understand. However, it is my intention to educate, inform and elevate a national dialogue in our industry about cancer to all of our clients as to how dermaviduals can help manage the changes in the skin that occurs depending on the form of cancer treatment.
“Our focus on Oncology Aesthetics means that more skin treatment therapists can make a difference to the quality of lives of people afflicted with this insidious disease. After all, the beauty salon/spa is a place that can offer tremendous relief both psychologically and physically, from cancer treatment. My focus is to provide an education platform so that more clinics and spas can offer accredited places to offer modified skin treatments which can accommodate the increased effects such as burning, redness, ulceration, pigmentation and scarring,” said Reika.
Morag Currin, who launched the world’s first Oncology Aesthetics certification program in the US in 2008, was in Sydney recently to conduct workshops for beauty professionals and help Derma Aesthetics (the distributor of dermaviduals) begin implementing the program.
According to Currin, whose lifelong mission is “to ensure no client gets turned away from a clinic due to the therapist not being confident in how to treat them”, says there is a huge need for oncology aesthetics in beauty salons and spas.
“Beauty treatments can offer numerous benefits for cancer patients including relaxation, symptom relief (eg, massage can help pain, stress and fatigue) and appearance recovery (skin treatments, brow ‘reconstruction’ and makeup ‘lessons’).
“The evidence is clear that cancer patients have an improved quality of life and reduced depression when they feel better about their appearance.”
However, many cancer patients who want to have such treatments avoid attending salons and spas for many reasons including being nervous because the therapist is not informed and it could be a negative experience and they do not have the energy to talk about the disease and the process.
Currin believes the Oncology Aesthetics registered practitioners program will help encourage cancer patients to attend salons and spas.
Roberts explained that the decision to launch the program in Australia is “a bit of a personal crusade”.
“I can’t think of anyone in my life that hasn’t been afflicted with cancer in some way,” she says.
“It is such an insidious disease, and we are passionate about helping people with cancer.
“As distributors, if our products can help cancer patients feel better, and we can help establish an accredited oncology aesthetics program that creates a safe environment for staff and cancer patients and survivors to have spa treatments, then I will be very satisfied.”
The course is made up of an online theoretical component which should take around 30 hours to complete and additional training with appearance recovery modules can be done in-class over two days.
Dermalogica is also leading the way by shining a light on gender inequality in the creative industries.
The company has partnered with female photography collective, Agender, in an effort to raise awareness around gender inequality in the photography industry. The partnership began on International Women’s Day with the launch of Dermalogica’s new light-activated innovation, Prisma Protect, shot by Agender and featuring three talented Australian women.
The collaboration is the latest embodiment of Dermalogica’s long-standing FITE initiative (Financial Independence Through Entrepreneurship) which aims to economically empower women globally by providing them with opportunities. By partnering with Agender, a platform for change for female photographers, Dermalogica hope to shine a light on unconscious biases that exist in the photography industry, spark change and bring about parity between genders.
“Dermalogica’s mission has always been to bring respect to the professional skin therapist. And in an industry that is 98% female, this is a goal that is closely linked to gender equality. We know that when women succeed, everyone succeeds. It is with this purpose in mind that we aim to educate, innovate, and move the conversation forward. We envisage that this partnership will continue the shift towards true equality”, says Dermalogica Australia general manager, Kristie Millgate.
The launch of Dermalogica Prisma Protect – a light-activated skin defense moisturiser – provided the perfect platform with the campaign imagery, shot by two of Agender’s photographers Cybele Malinowski and Anna Pogossova and features three creative Australian women.
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