Lezlee Westine
President & CEO, Personal Care Products Council
As Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, we continue our commitment to raise public consciousness and support the 1 in 8 women in the United States who are affected by this relentless disease. We honor the incredible strength of survivors, and remember those we have lost.
Over the course of several decades, beauty and personal care companies have played a leading role in breast cancer awareness, research, detection, and treatment. Our member companies’ long-standing commitments include, but are not limited to:
- Avon – Breast Cancer Crusade
- The Estée Lauder Companies – Breast Cancer Campaign
- Henkel – Schwarzkopf Million Chances Initiative
- Mary Kay Foundation – Cancer Research Grant Program
- Revlon – Run/Walk for Women, Million Dollar Challenge
The collective efforts of our industry, likeminded sectors, and women and breast cancer focused organizations have led to unparalleled advances in prevention, diagnosis, treatment and survivorship. The result? A significant increase in survival rates over the past several decades.
We see a lot of pink in October. Pink ribbons, pink t-shirts, pink-themed events, and pink product promotions, all of which provide an important opportunity to raise awareness and funds for research and support. While pink is engaging and fun, the color is – more importantly – meaningful. Women today are empowered with information and education about breast cancer, and effectively advocating for their own breast health. The iconic pink ribbon – which was first introduced in 1992 by the late Evelyn Lauder, daughter-in-law of beauty industry icon Estée Lauder, and longtime executive of The Estée Lauder Companies, with her friend Alexandra Penney, former editor-in-chief of SELF Magazine – helped shape the current environment in which awareness, uninhibited communication (once strictly taboo), self-breast exams, and mammograms are commonplace.
For the past 30 years, the entire beauty and personal care industry – manufacturers, suppliers, packagers, professional services, retailers, creative agencies, and beauty media – has proudly supported Look Good Feel Better. This unique public service program helps individuals with cancer improve their self-esteem and confidence by addressing the appearance-related side effects of treatment. The program offers free workshops, virtual classes, and online support that include lessons on skin and nail care; makeup application; wig and turban tutorials; and overall styling advice. Each year, PCPC members donate $2 million in funding, and more than one million products (valued at $10 million) to be used in these hands-on workshops. To date, the program has positively impacted the lives of more than two million women worldwide diagnosed with cancer. In the U.S., more than half of the women served are breast cancer patients.
As an organization that represents an industry fully committed to the health and well-being of women, we will continue to advocate for access to preventative care, screenings that help detect cancer early, affordable life-saving treatment, and research that could lead to the eradication of breast cancer once and for all.
For more information about Look Good Feel Better and our member company social impact programs that support breast cancer, please visit our website.
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