ey design, label and market products, with every Australian in mind. “Accessibility in beauty isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s a fundamental right,” said Dale Cleaver, CEO of Guide Dogs NSW/ACT. “Everyone deserves to feel seen, valued and included.” Guide Dogs NSW/ACT community mobiliser Aimee Huxley said retailers could support accessible beauty brands by running initiatives in store and through marketing and communications that spotlight them in a positive way.  “For example, they could run an ‘accessible beauty brand of the month’ initiative that rewards the winner with a window display for one month or features them in their customer magazine or newsletter,” Huxley said. “Running initiatives that spotlight and reward accessible beauty brands will encourage other beauty brands to follow suit and raise awareness for customers that the products exist.” Shining a light on exclusion The announcement follows the inaugural Boundless Beauty Summit in Sydney, an event designed to unite beauty leaders, content creators, accessibility advocates and people with lived experience to tackle what has long been an overlooked issue in the sector. Headlined by global beauty influencer and disability advocate Molly Burke, the summit struck a powerful chord.  “Every time I can’t read a label or differentiate a product, I’m reminded: this wasn’t made for me,” said Burke. “But it could be. And when it is, everyone benefits.”   According to research cited by Guide Dogs, three in four consumers say diversity and inclusion now influence their purchasing decisions. Inclusive brands are growing 1.5 times faster than their less inclusive counterparts. Yet the Australian beauty industry, worth over $8 billion annually, remains out of reach for many. A toolkit for change From a retail design and merchandising perspective, one of the key accessibility barriers that still exist for in-store shoppers with low vision or blindness is the layout of the store, with products often on a monthly or seasonal rotation.  “This makes it hard for someone to learn the layout of the store and find the products that they need,” Huxley said “Accessible design enhances usability for everyone. Things like easy-grip packaging, high-contrast labelling and intuitive dispensers help everyone, whether you’re navigating low lighting, multitasking with one hand or just in a rush,” Watts reinforced. A notable beauty brand providing accessible components in its packaging is Australian native ByStorm Beauty, a creator of adaptive makeup tools.  “ByStorm is setting a new benchmark for adaptive beauty tools. Their detachable, reusable grips transform how beauty items are opened, held and applied,” Watts said.  A practical resource created by Guide Dogs NSW/ACT in partnership with brand studio By Ninja is the Accessible Beauty Toolkit. It outlines four core actions brands can take today to start building more inclusive product experiences: Tactile markers to differentiate products by touch High-contrast labelling for easier readability Audio-enabled QR codes that provide spoken product info Inclusive naming that avoids overly visual or exclusive language Each of these steps may seem small in isolation, but together, they form the foundation of a more inclusive future. A call for collaboration As part of the initiative, Guide Dogs NSW/ACT has issued an open invitation to local beauty brands to co-create Australia’s first fully accessible beauty product.  It’s a bold challenge, yet an opportunity to pioneer a new benchmark for inclusive innovation. For Karlee Symonds, a Guide Dogs client and speaker at the Boundless Beauty Summit, the impact of exclusion is deeply personal.  “It’s incredibly frustrating walking into a store and not being able to tell one product from another. Everything feels the same in your hand, same shape, same texture, no labels I can read. It’s a reminder that the industry wasn’t designed with us in mind,” Symonds said.  “When I am faced with a lack of accessibility within products, my self-expression is restricted and confidence greatly limited, leaving me and many others living with blindness or low vision to feel invisible and excluded,” she added.  The business case for accessibility While accessibility is first and foremost a human rights issue, there’s also a compelling business case. Australians with disabilities represent more than 5 million people and wield an estimated $40 billion in spending power. Globally, that number soars to over 1 billion people. For brands navigating an increasingly competitive and values-driven retail landscape, accessibility is smart business. “Retailers could look to partner with a beauty brand who has already taken the first steps towards improving accessibility. The key to success comes from research, education, experimenting, user testing and involving people with disability in the development of your product from the very beginning,” Huxley said.  From packaging and point-of-sale design to digital experiences and product development, retailers have a real opportunity to take action. And unlike other forms of innovation, accessibility is now a guaranteed way to expand market reach, foster loyalty and demonstrate true leadership.