#Glossedover: Indigenous-Owned Brand Cheekbone Beauty Releases Non-Sellable Contaminated Lipgloss Set

Jun 01, 2022

Cheekbone Beauty, Sephora Canada, and Sid Lee team up to raise awareness about the water crisis in Indigenous communities inCanada, donating sales to Water First

TORONTO, June 1, 2022 – In recognition of Indigenous History Month, Indigenous-owned Cheekbone Beauty launches its #GlossedOver campaign. Created by the agency Sid Lee, the campaign features a line of unsellable lipgloss inspired by contaminated water – a crisis that remains present in over 30 Indigenous communities across Canada. In tandem, prestige beauty retailer Sephora Canada will donate all proceeds from the sale of Cheekbone Beauty products throughout June to Water First, a charitable organization supporting Indigenous communities to address the water crisis.

According to Water First, as of January 2022, approximately 94 (or about 1 in 6) First Nations communities in Canada don’t have access to clean water. These numbers include both short-term and long-term boil water advisories as well as do not consume advisories.

Contaminated Lipgloss: Would You Wear It?
With names like Lucious Lead, E.Coli Kiss, and Mercury Shimmer, the lipglosses featured in the campaign raise the question, “Would you put it to your lips?” While Cheekbone Beauty recognizes it’s unacceptable to sell contaminated products to the public, it demands to know why it’s acceptable for many Indigenous communities and their access to drinking water.

“It’s time to stop glossing over this issue,” said Jenn Harper, founder and CEO, Cheekbone Beauty. “Everyone should have access to clean, safe drinking water. That’s why #GlossedOver is so important: you wouldn’t put a contaminated gloss on your lips, so why should anyone put contaminated water to theirs?”

A Ripple Effect that Runs Deep
For the month of June, Sephora Canada will donate all proceeds from the sale of Cheekbone Beauty products to Water First.

The retailer’s partnership with Cheekbone Beauty began in 2021, when the beauty brand became part of Sephora Canada’s growing offering of BIPOC brands as part of the retailer’s commitment to the Fifteen Percent Pledge. Available on Sephora.ca as of September 2021, Cheekbone Beauty has since rolled out to select Sephora Canada stores across the country. Brand diversification, and Indigenous representation specifically, remain central to Sephora Canada’s Diversity & Inclusion efforts, alongside a commitment to ensuring all Canadians see themselves reflected at Sephora.

“As a purpose led organization, we have a responsibility to enable change and are humbled to support both Cheekbone’s Beauty’s brand journey, and the impactful work of Water First and the communities they support,” says Debbie McDowell, Director, Communications and Social Impact at Sephora Canada. “Addressing the water crisis for Indigenous communities in Canada is mission critical and this donation aligns with Sephora’s giving strategy of driving meaningful change and championing a more diverse, inclusive and empowered beauty community”.

“We are honoured to partner with Cheekbone Beauty, Sephora Canada, and Sid Lee,” says John Millar, Executive Director and Founder of Water First. “The #GlossedOver campaign will increase Water First’s ability to support communities from coast to coast to coast. Together, with Indigenous community partners, we will provide more young Indigenous adults with hands-on skills training to ensure sustainable access to safe, clean water – both now and for the future.”

Visit sephora.ca/cheekbone to shop Cheekbone Beauty and support Indigenous communities.

*Disclaimer: Applies to purchases of Cheekbone Beauty products made in Sephora Canada stores and on Sephora.ca between June 1, 2022, and June 30, 2022.

MEDIA ASSETS

View the video campaign here
Download campaign images here

ABOUT CHEEKBONE BEAUTY   
Cheekbone Beauty is an Indigenous-owned and founded, digitally-native, Canadian cosmetics company established in 2016 by Jenn Harper to create space in the beauty industry where Indigenous youth feel represented and seen. As a Certified B Corporation and member of 1% for the Planet, Cheekbone Beauty intertwines its Indigenous roots with westernized science to craft the best product we can for people and the planet.

Paving the way into truly sustainable product development and manufacturing, Cheekbone Beauty opened its Indigenous Innovation Lab in 2021 at its HQ in St. Catherines, ON, Canada. The brand’s in-house chemist focuses on creating formulations with local ingredients and by-product ingredients from local industries.

ABOUT WATER FIRST EDUCATION & TRAINING INC. (WATER FIRST)
Water First is a registered Canadian charity that works in partnership with Indigenous communities to address water challenges through education, training and meaningful collaboration. Since 2009, Water First has collaborated with 60 Indigenous communities located in the lands now known as Canada while supporting Indigenous youth and young adults to pursue careers in water science.

ABOUT SEPHORA AMERICAS
Since its debut in North America more than 20 years ago, Sephora has been a leader in prestige omni-retail with the mission of creating an inviting beauty shopping experience and inspiring fearlessness in our community. With the goal of delivering unbiased shopping support and a personalized experience, Sephora invites clients to discover thousands of products from more than 340 carefully curated brands, explore online and through our mobile app, enjoy services at the Beauty Studio and engage with expertly trained beauty advisors in over 500 stores across the Americas, including over 85 stores across Canada. Clients can access the free-to-join Beauty Insider program and digital community, which together enhance the experience of Sephora’s passionate clients. Sephora has been an industry-leading champion of diversity, inclusivity, and empowerment, guided by our longstanding company values. In 2019, Sephora announced a new tagline and manifesto, “We Belong to Something Beautiful,” to reinforce its dedication to fostering belonging amongst all clients and employees and to publicly strive for a more inclusive vision for retail in the Americas. Sephora continues to give back to our communities and advance inclusion in our industry through its social impact and equity programming, called the Sephora D&I Heart Journey. For more information, visit: https://www.sephora.ca/about-us and @SephoraCanada on social media

For further information: CHEEKBONE BEAUTY MEDIA CONTACT: For more information or to interview Jenn Harper, please contact: Ashley Seale, Ruby Social Co., e: hello@rubysocialco.com | t: 613.743.2413; SEPHORA CANADA MEDIA CONTACT: To interview a Sephora Canada representative, please contact: Courtney Steinhart, Middle Child, e: courtney.steinhart@wearemiddlechild.com | t: 647-236-4176

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