There is no question that the essential workers are the front lines of helping average people during the COVID-19 crisis are the real heroes among us; however, it is worth recognizing the brands that are demonstrating agility, leadership, and a dedication to their consumers/workers during this time. Here are some of the beauty brands that were quick to respond and have made significant contributions.

‍L’Oréal is the world’s biggest cosmetics company with brands such as Kiehl’s, Biotherm, Lancome, Shu Uemura, Urban Decay, Garnier, and more under its hood. Given the COVID-19 circumstances, L’Oréal has stepped up its role in helping consumers, employees, and partners alike around the world. L’Oréal has launched a European Solidarity program and L’Oréal USA has launched a multi-faceted initiative to help a wide range of American groups. 

Europe:

• The L’Oréal Foundation has pledged €1M and the provision of hygiene kits to help partner non-profit organizations that help and educate disadvantaged people about combatting the effects of the virus. 
• Garnier has donated €1M to the International Federation of the Red Cross to help them fight against the COVID-19 crisis and the Garnier factories will be producing millions of free sanitizers for European food distribution customers so that they can follow the recommended precautions. 
• La Roche-Posay factories will produce hand sanitizers for health workers and supply bottles free of charge to pharmacies that can’t produce their own sanitizers.  

L’Oréal USA:

• Factories will produce and provide hand sanitizers free of charge to all its employees, partners, and health care professionals. They will also be producing masks for local hospitals. 
• A donation of $1M worth of hygiene and personal care products is being made to Feed The Children, a not-for-profit organization. They will also be donating $250,000 to Feeding America to help families who rely on Food Banks. This will be in conjunction with a $25,000 campaign where they will encourage employees to donate to Feeding America and match up dollar for dollar. 
• In partnership with the Professional Beauty Association, L’Oréal will donate $200,000 to the PBA COVID-19 Relief Fund, which supports licensed professionals who are unable to work due to COVID-19. Every employee donation towards this will also be matched dollar for dollar by L’Oréal up to $25,000.

In the USA and Europe, L’Oréal is showing solidarity with small business partners by freezing any payments or debts and promising to come up with a tailored payment plan for when businesses resume. 

‍Estée Lauder Companies is a renowned multinational organization with brands such as Estée Lauder, Jo Malone, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, DKNY, and M.A.C. They are standing together with some of the other leading beauty brands to help limit the spread of the virus and ease the economic hardships faced by communities. Guided by their values and their spirit of giving, Estée Lauder Companies along with the Estée Lauder Companies Charitable Foundations have pledged to help affected partners and communities.

In New York alone, they have:

• re-opened a facility to produce hand sanitizers for those in high need, such as doctors
• donated $75M to The NYC COVID-19 Response & Impact Fund which will support vital social services and cultural community organizations
• donated 2M surgical masks to frontline staff 
• Clinique donated 500K skincare products to thank the medical staff 

In Asia, they have:

• donated $800K to the Red Cross Society of China, Shanghai Charity Foundation, and Give2Asia as relief funds. 
• made a $1.4M worth of in-kind donation to China Women’s Development Foundation to support medical staff.

Across Europe, they have:

• awarded $2M grant to Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières to support their life-saving efforts in response to the coronavirus. 
• distributed thousands of hand cream, body cream, and body wash products to health care and other frontline staff in the UK and Ireland. 

Aveda has donated over 123K bottles of product such as shampoos and lotions to nonprofits who are helping on the frontline. 

M.A.C cosmetic’s VIVA GLAM Fund will be allocating $10M to 250 local organizations around the globe that are providing essential services to high-risk groups.

‍LVMH is a family-run French multinational conglomerate and a world leader in luxury goods. As a group, they invest resources and skills back into the community which can yield tangible, long-lasting benefits for society as a whole. During the COVID-19 crisis, LVMH has stuck to its values and taken multiple actions to assist communities battling with the coronavirus. 

In France, they are

• Using perfume/cosmetic facilities to produce and supply free hydroalcoholic gels to local health authorities.  
• Employing its global distribution network to get 10M surgical masks delivered to France from China. The order will be repeated for four weeks in similar quantities.

In China, they are

• Donating $2.3M to the Red Cross Society of China and providing medical supplies to Wuhan Anti-Epidemic center

Bvlgari is providing relief across Europe/Asia:

• organizing online fitness sessions for its Chinese employees and donating over 10,000 masks to the government of the Jing’an district in China
• Producing hand sanitizers in Spain
• Made a significant contribution to Rome’s Spallanzani hospital to fund the acquisition of a new high-definition 3-D microscope to study infectious diseases 

Fendi has provided financial support and has supplied over 100K surgical masks. The pastry shop Cova has pledged to donate 25% of its sales to help build a new hospital in Milan and the brand Loro Piana has donated blankets and provided logistical support to quarantine centers. 

Sephora is aiding two New York hospitals by donating skincare kits. 

Fresh has donated skincare products to isolation centers in the US catering to the homeless who have contracted the disease. 

Moet Hennessy has donated to the US Bartenders’ Guild and The National Restaurant Association Education Fund which is a group that helps those who have lost jobs in this industry. 

Chandon and Belvedere are also providing hand sanitizers in Poland and Australia. 

‍Shiseido is one of the oldest personal care brands in the world. A Japanese multinational brand, Shiseido specializes in skincare, haircare, fragrance, and cosmetics. Some of their brands include Shiseido, NARS, bareMinerals, Dolce & Gabbana, and Laura Mercier. Shiseido’s age-old mission of “Beauty innovations for a better world” is their guiding principle for their plan of action in combating COVID-19. 

• As part of their “Relay of Love Project”, they expect to help communities by setting aside approximately ¥2B over the course of 6 months, starting from February 2020. They have already donated ¥150M to the Shanghai Charity Foundation and ¥15M to the Charity Federation of Wuhan. 
• They will also be reserving 1% of their regional sales from Asia to fund charities that will help restore life back to normal, offer utility products to areas in need, and offer support to people through the power of beauty. 
• Shiseido has started production of hand sanitizers in some of their French and American factories to help meet the increasing demand.
  

Coty is an American multinational organization that specializes in developing and manufacturing fragrances, skincare, haircare, nail care, and cosmetic products for both consumers and professionals. Coty owns 77 brands, such as Rimmel, CoverGirl, Wella, and Clairol. In response to the challenges brought on by COVID-19, Coty has taken key initiatives that will address safety and health issues as well as allow for business continuity. 

• Like their counterparts, they have also pledged to use some of their manufacturing sites to create hydroalcoholic gels that can be distributed for free to frontline workers. They will also make the sanitizers available for their own staff working on the site and some pharmacy staff.