US – Beauty brand Olay has crowdsourced an update to its packaging, with a redesign by and for members of the disabled community. The resulting Easy Open Lid design helps people with varying conditions to open its products with ease.
At no additional cost to the consumer, the accessible design has been incorporated into Olay’s most popular moisturisers and serums. Furthermore, with 15% of the world’s population living with a disability today, Olay has chosen not to patent the design, opting to share the Easy Open innovation with other brands and companies in the beauty industry.
‘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,’ explains Chris Heiert, senior vice-president of Olay. ‘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.’
By championing the principles of inclusivity and accessibility in its product design, Olay is driving change in the normative beauty industry. Confronting the sector’s ableist tendencies, Olay is aligning itself with Adaptive Beauty.
Strategic Opportunity
Consider which of your products, packaging or experiences might be difficult for some consumers to use or access, bringing wider audiences into the experience conversation to improve the design of everyday products