By Tracey Raso, Accord Chair and Regional Managing Director – Pacific, Revlon Australia & Elizabeth Arden.

Reflecting on the challenging times we currently face, it is always helpful to pose that most fundamental question: ‘What is our purpose?’

Hard-nosed, pragmatically inclined business leaders among us would likely answer promptly, ‘to deliver value via profits for our shareholders’. In this regard, Accord’s related purpose would be to deliver value by fostering an enhanced industry reputation for its members.

But is this the sum total of our purpose? I believe not. Decades of managing a business, along with my five years chairing Accord, have convinced me that everything boils down to having a positive impact on people. This is the purpose to which we should all aspire, as it holds the key to success. Fortunately, having a positive impact on people’s lives is deeply embedded in the DNA of the many fabulous products our industry makes—each one with an essential function.

Our industry’s innovative personal care and beauty products, especially sunscreens and skin care products, advance health and well-being. Few products are as significant as sunscreens, given the health risks sun damage poses in Australia. Accord members in this market are committed to ongoing innovation for effective and easy-to-apply products that suit families and people with busy lifestyles.

Some unjustifiably trivialise beauty products, despite growing evidence about their positive role in personal well-being. This arises in part from the mental boost we obtain from self expression and feeling our best. Who can forget the height of the pandemic lockdowns, when visits to the hairdresser were prohibited?

While, anecdotally, this had a significant negative impact on well-being, an academic study via Accord’s German sister association IKW interviewed 1000 people to find that individuals “…perceive hair care products and their hairstyle as cultivating, socially relevant, expressing values, individualising, structuring in everyday life, and rejuvenating.”

Similarly, other beauty products play a beneficial role in personal well-being. Another IKW study found that 63% of women who use decorative cosmetics do so to show their individuality and personality, with 42% finding these products an indispensable ‘part of being human’. And a study commissioned by French sister association FEBEA found that French people overwhelmingly believe that using cosmetics has a positive impact, including on their own well-being (79%), self-image (74%) and self-confidence (66%).

All these examples demonstrate that our industry products are focused on positively impacting people’s lives. Mirroring this is the work that Accord does to advance sustainability and social responsibility across the industry.

Since its formation in 2005, Accord has steadily created new initiatives and programs that have left lasting impacts. In the consumer information space, these include our Furphies.org website, addressing myths and misconceptions about our industry’s ingredients and products, and our Sunsible website on the importance of sunscreens and how to use them properly.

Of course, our industry’s flagship program is Look Good Feel Better (LGFB), which Accord has supported for many years. Look Good Feel Better is all about positively impacting people’s lives. Not just the thousands undergoing cancer treatment but also the families, friends and loved ones of all who participate in the program’s workshops. The figures speak for themselves.

Since May 1990, more than 190,000 Australians undergoing cancer treatment have participated in the program. Most pleasingly, LGFB scores an excellent satisfaction rating with the people it supports, with over 98% of participants satisfied and willing to recommend LGFB to others.

I urge you to keep an eye out for new initiatives into the future as Accord seeks to broaden its charity support work and continues to advance sustainability across the industry. Our purpose is to place people at the front and centre of what we do and so I would like to thank the people who make this possible. To all staff in valued Accord member companies, the Accord Board and I thank you for your ongoing support and for standing united as we continue to advocate on behalf of our innovative industry.

I thank the Accord Secretariat, Bronwyn, Craig, Catherine, Jen, Erly, Stephanie, Rianna, Paul and Ella, for their dedicated and expert work over the last year. Thank you to my fellow Board Directors for their ongoing commitment and sound governance of the association. And a final nod of thanks to our industry’s many valued partners across other industries and in government. We look forward to continuing positive engagement with you in the coming years.

For more on Accord’s impact, see our latest Annual Report www.accord.asn.au

This article was first published in the Spring issue of Retail Beauty:

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