Fifteen percent of the world’s population lives with a disability (source), yet these individuals are often excluded from the beauty industry both in representation and product offerings. OLAY North America is introducing the Easy Open Lid, a limited-edition prototype developed with and for people with disabilities.
The Easy Open Lid will be incorporated into the product design of OLAY’s most popular products: the Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream, Vitamin C + Peptide 24 Face Moisturizer, Retinol 24 Face Moisturizer and Collagen Peptide 24 Face Moisturizer.
To create the design, OLAY met with consumers with a wide range of conditions, from dexterity issues and limb differences, to chronic issues causing joint pain and vision impairments. The team also met with external experts and incorporated personal experiences from team members into the new product design.
“Accessibility makes things better for everyone,” says journalist and model Madison Lawson who is living with muscular dystrophy. She is one of the key members with whom OLAY worked closely with to bring this jar to life. “Everyone’s been there where you get product on your hands or you’re trying to open something and you can’t, so I think it’s cool that this is designed with us specifically in mind but it also makes everyone’s life better.”
The Easy Open Lid is designed with:
- Easy open winged cap
- Extra grip raised lid
- High contrast product label
- Braille text “face cream”
“We were honored to work closely with a passionate group of people to bring this Easy Open Lid to life,” said Chris Heiert, Senior Vice President of Olay. “As a global brand, it’s our responsibility to ensure that ALL consumers have access to products that serve their needs and fit seamlessly into their daily lives. But we can’t do it alone, which is why we’ve chosen not to patent this lid, and rather share the design widely with the beauty community. Our hope is that others will join us in our efforts in making products more accessible for everyone.”
The lids are available now exclusively on olay.com/opentochange. In addition to sharing the design widely with the beauty industry, OLAY is offering the lid to consumers at no additional cost—it comes free with the purchase of one of the four OLAY Regenerist Moisturizers mentioned above.
OLAY remains committed to equality and inclusion, and champions a more diverse and inclusive standard of beauty in which there is not one, but many, representations of what is “beautiful”. By 2025, P&G, including OLAY, has pledged to make its packaging more accessible for people with disabilities. Olay’s breakthrough Easy Open Lid is just one step toward inclusivity in skin care. OLAY is encouraging all companies to participate and make the beauty industry more inclusive and accessible to all.
