Why diversity and inclusivity matters in beauty

Trishna Daswaney (BSc Management 2015) has dedicated her career to empowering people to improve their self-esteem through her beauty products. She is the founder of Kohl Kreatives, an independent and inclusive beauty brand that aims to bring the basics back to beauty for everyone so they can feel good about themselves on a daily basis.

Trishna is a passionate advocate for spreading positivity and diminishing standard beauty ideals, working tirelessly to promote equality, diversity and inclusiveness. As a recognised thought leader in the industry, Trishna was recently invited to join the British Beauty Council's Diversity and Inclusivity Think Tank and Panel Talk in collaboration with Glasgow Caledonian University’s British School of Fashion. 

"As Kohl Kreatives really focuses on inclusion and diversity, it was an incredible opportunity to share my voice, and opinions on topics that are very close to my heart and are built into my everyday. I hope to inspire more businesses to make changes and take action. " commented Trishna.

The event comprised two panel talks on consumer trends and needs and commercial imperatives for business. Representatives from a wide range of beauty and cosmetics companies considered different aspects of diversity and inclusivity in the sector and their insights will provide the basis for the British Beauty Council Education Pillar Report in 2020, helping create a roadmap for the industry.

The Think Tank concluded that the beauty industry should take a critical and holistic view of consumers’ reality. Despite greater accessibility and democratisation of beauty, there is still much more to be done. The beauty industry is not one-dimensional. Personalisation should not just be for those with privilege, and diverse consumers deserve for their needs to be catered for as a matter of course, not as an 'other' or a separate add on.

The sector needs to continuing moving further away from tokenistic portrayals of diversity, and take a more holistic and integrated view of the real consumer. This starts with hiring and promoting to ensure diversity is represented at the decision-making table: with educators embedding knowledge of diverse skin, hair and wellbeing considerations for a broad representation of consumers into the curriculum; with brands authentically understanding, representing and building diverse community; with retailers providing the space and platforms for ranges that cater for diversity and for diverse-owned brands.

About Kohl Kreatives

Kohl Kreatives caters to individuals with existing conditions, such as: alopecia, vitiligo and port wine birthmarks. We also work towards helping individuals with severe scarring or burns, as a result of accidents.

The company reinvests profits into providing free make-up consultancy for cancer care patients and transitioning transgender people. Trishna's products and workshops are catered towards helping everyone and to reintegrate into society. Leading with innovation she created the first beauty tools to empower people with motor disabilities.

Kohl Kreatives has featured in the Guardian, the Evening Standard, Harpers Bazaar, Stylist and the Huffington Post. In 2017 Trishna won the Nottingham Post Women in Business Award for ‘Rising Star’.

Read the full British Beauty Council 'Is Beauty Inclusive?' report