Beautiful gestures

Making up an international industry worth hundreds of billions of dollars, cosmetics brands are in a powerful position to influence worldwide trends in beauty and lifestyle. Increasingly, they are using their power to spread the message that doing good is as important as looking good.

"Our customers consider it an added value to be able to buy a lipstick that can help people and improve suffering," says Denise Lai, brand general manager of M.A.C Cosmetics in Hong Kong, which is an active supporter of HIV/Aids charities through its Viva Glam programme. "Most of the time, our customers do not mind buying another lipstick for charity. It's HK$145 only and 100 per cent of sales goes to the fund."

M.A.C launched Viva Glam in 1994. Over the years it has become known for its celebrity spokespersons from Dita Von Teese to Lady Gaga and most recently, Ricky Martin and Nicki Minaj lending their star power. To date the fund has raised US$250 million. John Demsey, group president and chairman of the M.A.C AIDS Fund, has called the campaign "the heart and soul of M.A.C Cosmetics".

In Hong Kong, the brand works with local Aids charities and will donate HK$1 million to Unicef Hong Kong to support its Charity Run on November 25 and its Preventing Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV programme. It will also donate HK$400,000 to the Society for AIDS Care on December 1 (World Aids Day).

In much the same way as M.A.C has supported those affected by HIV and Aids, Estée Lauder has led the fight against breast cancer for the past 20 years. Through its Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign - launched by Evelyn Lauder in 1992 with the pink ribbon symbol - the brand has reached more than 70 countries, touching the lives of more than 20 million people.

Every year, the campaign does something new, most recently illuminating The Peninsula hotel in pink on September 27 to raise funds and awareness for the Hong Kong Hereditary Breast Cancer Family Registry.