woman at a protest march with a megaphone loud speaker

How A Beauty Brand Raised An Army Of 30,000 Political Activists

Beautycounter enlists its sales team to fight for better regulation in the beauty industry. It’s part of a wave of activist brands taking on Washington.

March 13, 2018 | Source: | by Elizabeth Segran

Beautycounter enlists its sales team to fight for better regulation in the beauty industry. It’s part of a wave of activist brands taking on Washington.

It’s 10 a.m. in Washington, D.C., and 100 saleswomen from skincare and cosmetics brand Beautycounter have gathered on the steps of Capitol Hill.

They’re in their finest pantsuits and shift dresses, makeup flawless, game faces on. They’re girding for a long day of lobbying members of Congress for laws to keep harmful chemicals out of the soaps, shampoos, lotions, and makeup Americans slather on their bodies every single day.

A few hours later, in the offices of Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), 10 of them are sitting around a conference table to speak with the lawmaker’s legislative assistant. Among them is Jude Rollins, a Beautycounter salesperson (or consultant, in the parlance of the brand), who is in her 50s and lives in the Chicago suburbs.