Makeup remains inaccessible to people who are blind or have low vision, which is a major gap in the beauty industry. For World Sight Day (October 9), Shine Foundation, a Canadian not-for-profit that fulfills dreams for youth living with severe physical disabilities, set out to provoke a conversation about how to make beauty more accessible.
To celebrate, Shine granted its 9,000th dream to 14-year-old Scarlette–a blind teen with a bold personality–a complete makeover designed to help her fully express who she truly is. Inspired by Scarlette and the barriers faced by millions like her, Shine partnered with Indigenous-owned Canadian beauty brand Cheekbone Beauty to create Scarlette’s Palette: the first makeup palette with tactile navigation and audio description, designed for the blind and low-vision community. The prototype of Scarlette’s Palette not only fulfills Scarlette’s dream, but also sparks conversation around the need for systemic change in beauty accessibility.
“Youth living with disabilities deserve to be seen as more than their disabilities,” said Tiffany Houston, CEO of Shine Foundation. “With Scarlette’s Palette, we’re sending a message that self-expression should never have barriers.”
“Cheekbone Beauty has always championed inclusivity and innovation,” said Jenn Harper, Founder of Cheekbone Beauty. “Partnering with Shine to bring Scarlette’s dream to life is a milestone for us, and we hope it inspires the beauty industry to keep pushing for accessibility.”
Designed with Scarlette in mind, the palette builds accessibility into every detail – empowering blind and low-vision users to apply makeup independently. These include:
- Raised exterior patterns and logos for product identification through touch.
- Tactile arrows indicating orientation and opening.
- Raised QR code linking to audio description of how to navigate the palette and descriptions of each shade.
- Shape indicators below each shade for easy identification and selection.
- Tactile ridges separating each color pan for precision and ease.
Although still in the prototyping phase and not yet available for purchase, Shine Foundation and Cheekbone Beauty are hoping to collaborate with CNIB to ensure the palette is accessible and beneficial for the blind and low vision community. This initiative reflects Shine’s ongoing commitment to helping youth with severe physical disabilities reach their full potential. To learn more or donate to make this a reality, visit shinefoundation.ca/scarlette and @shinefoundationcanada.
