While it's great to ensure we're making ethical and positive buying choices all year round, International Women's Day is a good time to make a few changes if your beauty collection needs a bit of a philanthropist facelift.
Many big brands will release a special product to celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Women's Equality day or indeed, International Women's Day, with all proceeds going to charity for a set amount of time. This is brilliant, of course, and should absolutely be celebrated, but there are some brands whose message is loud and clear all year round.
These companies make giving back a key pillar in their manifestos, supporting women all over the globe with every sale of their products. It's definitely worth having them on your radar.
Here are some of our favourite brands that give back to charitable causes.
We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links
Beauty brands that give back
1 of 8Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen/Grow and Restore Treatment Masque
This hair masque will give your strands a new lease of life. Featuring shea butter, peppermint and keratin, it restores strength to damaged, brittle or over-processed hair.
2 of 8Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick
Bobbi Brown's foundation sticks are a best-seller - and for good reason. It's so lightweight, it feels like you aren't wearing make-up, but gives great coverage.
3 of 8Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF50
Dermalogica's Dynamic Skin Recovery isn't just a great moisturiser, but it provides SPF protection too, a must-have for great skin. With no artificial fragrances or colours, your skin will feel soft, smooth and supple.
4 of 8The Honest Company Shampoo & Conditioner Set
For super clean hair without harsh chemicals, look to The Honest Company. These products are SLS free and the shampoo can also be used as a body wash.
5 of 8Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm
This cleansing balm is loved by users for its ability to melt away make-up while being gentle to skin. Enriched with a blend of starflower, elderberry, optimega oils, rose and mimosa waxes and padina pavonica, it works to cleanse and hydrate skin, leaving it glowing.
6 of 8Faace Masks
Faace has a range of masks that combat a number of skin issues and can be used in a multitude of ways. On your period? There's a mask for that. Tired skin? There's one for that, too. Skin reeling from the gym? You guessed it!
7 of 8Elemis Superfood Facial Oil
Elemis' Superfood range literally feeds your skin with the goodness it needs. The 100% natural treatment makes skin brighter, more radiant and youthful-looking.
8 of 8Lush Mask of Magnaminty
Acne-sufferers swear by this minty miracle. It's a real multitasker - moisturising, antiseptic, stimulating, refreshing, cleansing and exfoliating. Slather it on and get ready for a whole new face.
Learn more about the brands making a difference...
SheaMoisture
SheaMoisture is a certified organic, natural and Fair Trade company, which means its shea butter is sustainably sourced and the people who contribute to the products receive a fair wage. The company uses cooperatives in northern Ghana, where 2,500 women are employed, it invests in educational, entrepreneurial and socio-economic opportunities to build up the communities it works with.
SheaMoisture's cruelty-free hair and body care products have a cult following, loved for their ultra-hydrating and natural ingredients.
Fenty Beauty
Founded by business boss QUEEN Rihanna, Fenty Beauty not only made waves in the beauty industry for creating a product range that would suit every skin tone, but the brand gives back big time.
The Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF) was founded in 2012 by Rihanna to honour her grandparents and it funds a whole host of education, health and emergency response programs around the world. With initiatives in Malawi, Senegal, Barbados and the USA, CLF aims to improve the quality of life for communities everywhere.
The foundation is partnering with The Campaign for Female Education in Malawi for 2021 and expects to impact 7,500 girls, supporting them through school and into employment. You can check out more about Fenty's work on the website.
Bobbi Brown
Bobbi Brown's focus is on securing jobs for unemployed women and the brand partnered with Smart Works (championed by the Duchess of Sussex) in 2013. The charity helps women build up the skills, confidence and tools to succeed at job interviews, get back into work and change their lives and they've helped thousands of women achieve this.
Honest Beauty
The Honest Company was founded by Hollywood megastar Jessica Alba in 2011 after she craved a company that was transparent about its ingredients, practises and the effectiveness of its products. Its range spans beauty, home, baby products and more.
The company's main focus is around parents having access to eco-friendly necessities like nappies and cleaning products, but its social work reaches people from all walks of life.
Faace
Faace is a relatively new brand on the scene, but we predict big things from them. Its range of multi-tasking face mask products are made for real women who lead busy lives and just needs something that works.
If you're tired, on your period, anxious, not getting enough sleep or not drinking enough water (um, hello - all of the above), your skin will suffer - that's where Faace comes in. Choose one of the versatile Period, Sweaty or Tired products and use it however you please. It's brilliant.
What's more, the company donates one pack of period products per every item sold to Hey Girls, the charity tackling period poverty, so that girls who cannot currently afford period products no longer have to worry.
Lush
Lush, aka the kingdom of all bath bombs, has long been a supporter of cruelty-free cosmetics and sustainable practices, but it also takes part in a number of other initiatives, such as sourcing its shea butter from women's cooperatives in Ghana. Its ethical buying policy ensures that producers are paid a fair wage and are not exploited.
Dermalogica
Dermalogica has been quietly supporting women through its founder, Jane Wurwand. She set up FITE (Financial Independence Through Entrepreneurship) which aims to help women to gain the skills, experience and financial support necessary to grow a thriving business.
Elemis
Elemis supports a number of women's initiatives including Women for Women International (WfWI), which aids women in areas of conflict, Wellbeing of Women, which funds research into lifesaving healthcare treatments and Breast Cancer Care, which provides information, practical assistance and emotional support for anyone affected by breast cancer.
Are there any brands out there you love that support women? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter.
What to read next:
The best vegan perfume brands to transform your fragrance collection
These Garnier products have gone viral for 'clearing skin' and they're a serious bargain
Face rollers: What are the benefits and should you invest in one?