Over the last five years, the beauty space has progressed in leaps and bounds. The once polarising and exclusive industry has expanded with the aim to be more inclusive and accessible. A real shift began when global pop superstar Rihanna released her Fenty Beauty foundation with 50 shades in 2017, and since then brands have become more and more aware of the need for expansive shade ranges that include a multitude of colours, undertones and formulations. And it’s about time. But where there is still much to be done is in the cross section of shade inclusivity and accessibility. It’s important that Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) have access to inclusive shade ranges at a variety of price points. We must all remember that without constantly evolving and pushing boundaries, progress can stagnate. 

Taking this sentiment into her own hands, Rebecca Willink, a woman of South-Asian background who said she has struggled with finding complexion-based products in retail stores her whole life, was determined to ensure that BIPOC people wouldn’t continue to go through the same struggles she did. “I remember going shopping for cosmetics with my predominantly white friends in my teenage years and noticing the disparity between our experiences,” she tells Gritty Pretty. “While they could buy affordable foundations from all brands in every store, I was unable to find a single shade that even came remotely close to my skin colour. I felt that both the lack of representation of colour on the shelves and the disparity of access was a significant issue that needed to be addressed.”

Launching a petition earlier this year which called for an inclusive range of beauty products for all skin colours to be stocked in Australian supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths, Willink has managed to acquire over 6,000 signatures in support of her initiative. “A person of colour cannot currently purchase foundations, concealers and other skin products in the right shades due to these items not being stocked on shelves,” she wrote in her petition, calling for “this form of racial discrimination to be addressed immediately.” 

The good news? Both Coles and Woolworths have listened, with the supermarket giants committing to rolling out an inclusive shade range trial in selected stores across the country. The bad news? It is yet to be a permanent commitment that the supermarkets have made—which is where we can all do our bit to help. 

“At the end of the day, it is about equal access to products, a concept that is not currently afforded by BIPOC,” says Willink. “It is also a matter of lack of representation and the harmful implications of those cultures being visibly underrepresented in society.”

To do your bit, please click here to send feedback to Coles supermarket, asking them to ensure this rollout is made permanent and taken Australia-wide. It’s as simple as filling out your personal details and copying and pasting the below into the feedback field.

I am writing to commend you on the initiative to extend your makeup ranges for all skin tones for a trial period. I request that this trial be made permanent to allow equal access to cosmetics for all Australians, regardless of their skin colour.

It’s time for us to #MakeTheSpace.