Sometimes just trying to open the packaging that makeup comes in is enough to cause frustration.
Not to mention the fine motor coordination needed to hold the various tubes and wands and brushes while applying.
It’s a struggle.
But for millions of people with dexterity challenges, it’s a barrier.
Here at Access Design Studio, we spend our days wrangling code to make the digital world a friendlier, more inclusive place.
As a Certified B Corp, equal access is basically baked into our DNA.
So when we see a massive brand bring that exact same energy to the physical world, we applaud.
Looking at you, Selena Gomez and Rare Beauty.
The Best Kind of Viral
Selena originally designed Rare Beauty’s packaging to accommodate her own dexterity challenges from Lupus.
She ditched the slippery plastics for soft-touch, matte finishes.
She topped liquid wands with flattened spheres that actually give you something to hold onto.
It was a personal design choice that accidentally went totally viral within the disability community.
Then, They Put On Lab Coats
Instead of just riding the wave of accidental good PR, Rare Beauty did something incredibly smart.
They launched the Made Accessible Initiative.
They partnered with the Casa Colina Research Institute to scientifically study what actually works for people with upper-extremity disabilities.
They aren’t just guessing.
They’re testing.
Be still our data-loving, accessibility-nerd hearts.
The Perfume Pump of Our Dreams
Their new Eau de Parfum is an absolute masterclass in universal design.
Standard perfume bottles require the finger precision of a Swiss watchmaker.
Rare Beauty said, “Nope.”
They built an oversized, ergonomic pump you can press with a palm, a forearm, or even a closed fist.
Zero fine motor skills required to smell amazing.
The Ultimate Flex
When you design for the margins, you create a wildly better experience for everyone.
Whether we’re making a fellow B Corp’s site accessible, or someone is engineering a perfume bottle, inclusivity should never be an afterthought.
It is the blueprint.
