Inclusive Beauty: Leadership for an Inclusive Industry

Inclusivity has become central to beauty — reshaping products, brands, and expectations. Leading in an inclusive beauty industry takes genuine understanding and commitment. Here is what it means.

A genuine industry shift

Inclusivity has become central to beauty — a genuine shift toward serving all consumers across skin tones, ethnicities, ages, genders, abilities, and identities, rather than a narrow ideal. This has reshaped products (such as expanded shade ranges), brands, marketing, and consumer expectations. Consumers increasingly expect beauty brands to serve and represent them authentically, whoever they are. Leaders need to understand this shift as a genuine and lasting change in the industry, central to how beauty brands connect with today's diverse consumers, and an expectation that continues to grow.

Serving diverse consumers well

Inclusive beauty means genuinely serving diverse consumers — developing products that work for a wide range of skin tones, types, and needs, and building brands that represent and speak to diverse consumers authentically. This requires real understanding of diverse consumers and their needs, and genuine commitment to serving them well, not as an afterthought. Brands and leaders that authentically serve diverse consumers build broader appeal, loyalty, and relevance; those that do so superficially or narrowly increasingly fall short of consumer expectations.

Authenticity matters

As with other values-related shifts, authenticity is crucial in inclusive beauty — genuine commitment and action versus superficial or performative inclusivity, which consumers increasingly see through and reject. The best leaders embed inclusivity authentically in the business, products, and culture, rather than treating it as a marketing exercise. Genuine inclusivity, lived in how the brand develops products, represents people, and operates, earns trust and connection; inauthentic inclusivity can damage a brand. Leaders set the tone for whether inclusivity is genuine.

What it means for leadership and hiring

Inclusive beauty raises the value of leaders who genuinely understand and are committed to inclusivity, and who can build brands and products that serve diverse consumers authentically. It also connects to inclusive leadership and diverse teams within businesses. For beauty businesses, leadership that authentically embraces inclusivity is increasingly important to relevance and success. Finding leaders with genuine inclusive understanding and commitment is part of building the right leadership, and connects to building diverse teams too.

Frequently asked questions

What is inclusive beauty?

Beauty's shift toward genuinely serving all consumers — across skin tones, ethnicities, ages, genders, abilities, and identities — authentically and well, reshaping products, brands, and expectations. It has become a genuine expectation and opportunity in the industry.

What does inclusive beauty mean for leadership?

Genuinely understanding and committing to inclusivity, building brands and products that serve diverse consumers authentically, and embedding inclusivity in the business rather than superficially — since consumers increasingly see through and reject performative inclusivity.

Related: What Makes a Great Beauty Leader · Building a Diverse Leadership Slate · Skinification of Beauty