For This Philanthropic Beauty Brand, Makeup Is *Literally* Changing Lives
Wellness

For This Philanthropic Beauty Brand, Makeup Is *Literally* Changing Lives

This content was created by Girlboss in partnership with Thrive Causemetics.

A swipe of red lipstick, a flick of black eyeliner, a coat of ultra-lengthening mascara: we all know how powerful makeup can be for self expression. But Thrive Causemetics focuses on a different kind of transformation. The vegan, cruelty-free beauty brand is supporting and empowering women—one coat of mascara at a time. The Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara is their best-selling product because it lengthens your lashes to mimic the look of extensions and lasts all day without flaking or smudging. And the best part? Every purchase of this mascara  supports organizations that help women thrive through their Bigger Than Beauty mission (Thrive supports over 300 organizations across the country and has given more than $100M worth of products and cash since they launched in 2015.) 

Fighting Pretty is one of them. The nonprofit organization helps women battling cancer feel strong and beautiful. We chatted with Corinne Christian, the director of outreach and community engagement of Fighting Pretty, about how makeup is anything but frivolous—it’s actually a weapon of strength.

How does Fighting Pretty define beauty, and why is it so important to the organization's mission?

“For many women battling cancer, beauty, femininity—even comfort in her own skin—can be fleeting. For some women, the part that hurts the most is losing their eyebrows. The side effects of cancer treatment run the gamut from losing breasts or ovaries, to hair falling out (including lashes and brows), to sunburn rashes from radiation, and finger and toenails being destroyed by chemo. Fighting Pretty encourages women to hold on to whatever helps them feel like THEM. Our mission is simple: To help all women battling cancer feel strong and beautiful. 

What made you want to partner with Thrive Causemetics?

“Thrive Causemetics and Fighting Pretty have been partnering since 2018. We had been aware of the brand, loved the products and respected their priorities as a leader in the clean beauty world. Then, in early 2019, they reached out to us about being a partner in their Bigger Than Beauty™ campaign. Thrive’s emphasis on helping every woman feel beautiful in her own right parallels with Fighting Pretty’s mission to help all women battling cancer feel strong and beautiful, so working together felt natural. Additionally, Fighting Pretty needed to find a cosmetics brand that we felt comfortable distributing to our community (paraben free, lead free, high quality). 

How has Fighting Pretty's relationship with Thrive Causemetics impacted the brand?

“Prior to working together, we were reaching out to multiple cosmetics companies every few months to ask for donations. Being a partner with Thrive has allowed us the stability to shift our team’s focus away from chasing cosmetics and back to helping women. Additionally, the quantities they’ve been able to donate to Fighting Pretty have allowed us to help more women each year than ever before. Since being founded in 2013, Fighting Pretty has helped around 20,000 women, and approximately half of those have been in the last 3 years, since partnering with Thrive.”

What's next for Fighting Pretty?

“Through our Strength and Beauty Program, Fighting Pretty works with hospitals, treatment centers and support organizations all over to provide care packages to women in active cancer treatment. Our challenge is that Fighting Pretty could be helping thousands more women. We want to reach them all, we just need the funding.. And individuals can join our Fight Club to become recurring donors. Just $10 a month helps one more woman going through cancer treatment every month—and $100 a month could sponsor an entire hospital each year!”

Want to use your spending power to help organizations like Fighting Pretty? Shop Thrive Causemetics’ best-sellers here.