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Elise Cohen (left) is vice president of social impact and social engagement for Selena Gomez’s (right) brand Rare Beauty.
Pairings of celebrities and beauty brands are common. Rihanna wears Fenty Beauty, Kylie Jenner wears Kylie Cosmetics, and Ariana Grande wears REM Beauty. Other celebrities are launching cosmetics and makeup lines that reflect their style, and some are combining social and environmental objectives with their company’s mission. Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty takes social impact one step further with its commitment to mental health awareness.
This purpose is fundamental to the company’s success, which saw it become the third-best-selling beauty brand founded by a celebrity in 2023, surpassing brands like Goop (Gwyneth Paltrow) and JLo Beauty (Jennifer Lopez). That’s the part. This relates to the woman behind Rare Beauty’s mental health agenda, Elise Cohen, the company’s vice president of impact and inclusion.
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Ellis, who holds a master’s degree in public health, communications and marketing from George Washington University, is a reference in the field, teaching businesses and organizations how to grow by creating programs with social purpose. Her previous positions include deputy director of former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Healthy Eating Program and senior director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. But his passion for social causes didn’t start in an office or college, but with lessons learned in his childhood.
“I was raised by a single mother in a family that prioritized philanthropy. We spend our vacations volunteering around the world and helping families in need,” says Ellis. “The impact that mental illness had on people in my family fueled my interest in this issue. It was a way to turn pain into purpose.”
As the need to discuss mental health increases due to COVID-19, several friends of mine have chosen to work with Rare to address this issue, saying, “This job was made for you.” She introduced me to a position open at Beauty. Within weeks, she had a video call with Selena Gomez to discuss her perspective and passion for mental health awareness. “We understood the power of having recognition like Selena, especially for a brand that focuses on creating impact,” he said.
What also sets Rare Beauty apart from other celebrity-created beauty brands is that Gomez launched the Rare Impact Fund before any of her famous products hit stores. Its aim is to expand access to information about mental health, promote self-acceptance and self-love, and use beauty as a means to generate discussion on this topic among young people around the world. was ready to achieve this goal until the end.
She and her team worked on social media campaigns, partnered with experts, and shared free tools to promote mental health. She leads major corporate programs including the Rare Beauty Mental Health Council, a team of experts, leaders and mental health professionals partnered with the brand, the Ambassadors for Impact program, and the U.S. White House Youth Mental Health Action Forum. I’m here.
Selena Gomez and Elise Cohen jointly launched Rare Beauty Impact Fund in 2020
Elise is particularly proud of hosting Rare Beauty’s ‘We All Have Baggage’ campaign and the first-ever Mental Health Summit, an event promoted by the brand to discuss the topic. 150 people from around the world participated in person and 50,000 Gen Z youth connected on TikTok expressed their gratitude for the social impact of brands. Messages ranged from “You saved my life” to “Thanks to your rare beauty, I know I’m not alone and belong to a group.”
“I don’t know if I could be more intentional, but it created a sense of camaraderie and belonging among my fans. Not a day goes by that I don’t read messages like this,” Elise said. She credits Selena Gomez for creating and implementing a new blueprint for her social impact-focused brand and turning her fame into a tool. “Selena has given so much to the world because of her power and influence, and that’s not something everyone is willing to do.”
Rare Beauty’s social impact efforts are gaining attention. The company was recognized by Mental Health First Aid, an organization that trains people to deal with mental health issues, for its efforts to raise mental health awareness through employee training, educational campaigns, and as the first beauty brand to do so. Winner of Partnership of the Year Award. To be nominated and awarded by an organization. The brand has become a leader in mental health support by creating an internal mental health council and working with nonprofit organizations.
Whether it’s a social purpose or not, Elise wants all businesses to feel inspired to use their impact to achieve good. She says, “My hope is that social impact becomes not just a nice-to-have for companies, but a must-have.” This is already visible to many. ”
She shared three tips that any company can follow to embed social impact into their DNA: Lead and implement social challenges from the beginning so they don’t just become an afterthought. Build a dedicated team, choose issues that align with your business and its customers, and seek support and guidance from social leaders.
While Elise’s impact will be felt by fans of the brand and the mental health community at large, her future plans are to expand Rare Beauty into an innovative company with her goal of integrating sales and creating social impact. The aim is to position the company as a unique business. The Vice President of Impact and Inclusion wants to be known as an agent of change and an innovator in every project she works on. “Rare Beauty and Selena made me do this. I couldn’t have done it without them. Even if we only impact one young person, our work is worth it. There was,” he says.
*Holly Eve is a contributor to Forbes USA. She is her CEO, founder and creative director of the cosmetics brand ‘Madame Remy’.
(Translated by Gabriela Guido)