Donate beauty products to medical professionals

Cheryl Wishhover, a beauty reporter and former nurse practitioner, received a text from a colleague explaining how a friend's personal protective equipment (PPE) was damaging her skin. Inspired, she decided to take action on Twitter and tweeted the following Beauty Editor/Brand: I've heard from hospital staff that wearing masks is ruining your face/confusing your skin. Trying to organize some donations of acne products, cleansers, mild moisturizers, scented oils, etc. It's small, but it's something RNs can do."

Cheryl Wishhover, a beauty reporter and former nurse practitioner, received a text from a colleague explaining how a friend's personal protective equipment (PPE) was damaging her skin. Inspired, she decided to take action on Twitter and tweeted the following Beauty Editor/Brand: I've heard from hospital staff that wearing masks is ruining your face/confusing your skin. Trying to organize some donations of acne products, cleansers, mild moisturizers, scented oils, etc. It's small, but it's something RNs can do."

Like many great movements, this initiative actually started when it hit social media. Christina Rodolfo, Beauty Director Women's Health , Kathleen Hou, Beauty Director of New York Magazine Kat , and author Caroline Moss soon joined Wishover to form DonateBeauty, a force of four.

Today, the group has donated over 140,000 products to over 400 hospitals to benefit over 300,000 workers. More than 200 brands have donated to the cause, including Marc Jacobs, Supergoop, Drunk Elephant, and Glow Recipe.

Donate Beauty partners with beauty brands to coordinate product delivery directly to front-line medical professionals, benefiting both the skin barrier and morale, says Hou. We know that everyone, from physicians to administrative staff to managers, has been affected by the COVID-19 crisis. We are still a small grassroots organization, but we are considering 501c3 status to make it truly official. We have a few volunteers.

The organization itself may be small, but it has made a huge impact so far. Every day I receive thank you notes and am tagged in dozens of photos from recipients all over the US. This is the highlight of the day, says Hou. While the brand admits that beauty products are not considered as essential as N95 masks, the joy and excitement it gives to healthcare workers serves as a glimmer of happiness in an environment that really needs it.

The biggest challenge so far, according to the brand, is the sheer volume of requests they receive daily. What started out as 20 requests a day from new medical professionals has turned into 300 requests a day, with products like hand creams, lip balms and moisturizers being the most popular requests. We are still a very small team of volunteers and we ask that people bear with us as we try our hardest to fulfill everyone's requests, says Hou.

You don't have to work for a beauty brand or be a beauty editor. If you would like to donate unopened products, please contact us. Donate beauty at info@donatebeauty with what you have available. Donations of any size are helpful. A representative will work to connect you with a local hospital or small team.

If there's one thing we can take away from inspirational initiatives, it's how little things count in today's current climate. According to Hou, one of the most memorable parts of the experience came from a small brand that poured a little heart into every donation. The Honeybell Shop wrote a personal note on each box sent to medical professionals, encouraging and cheering them on. Otto's Kingz It was started by a former dermatology nurse, and each shipment to the hospital included hand-drawn cards written by the children, saying things like, "I love you, I'm here.