Hourglass Sets a New Standard for Cruelty-Free Beauty

One of the many lessons 2020 taught us: where we spend our money matters. When we give our hard-earned dollars to a business, we’re not only supporting them but also their values, as well as the organizations they support. If you’ve become more aware and conscious of what you’re buying, I have excellent news: turns out, our favorite beauty brands are giving us even more reason to shop with them. Hourglass, for one, has philanthropic values woven into their DNA. Here’s more from Hourglass founder and CEO Carisa Janes on the importance of giving back and supporting organizations that align with the brand’s values.

Please tell us about Hourglass’ give-back initiatives.

For Hourglass, the definition of cruelty-free goes beyond animal testing. We want to positively impact living beings and their environment, so we support the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP)—the only organization in the U.S. working to secure civil rights for nonhuman animals. In 2020, we reformulated all of our products to be vegan, evolved our Eye to Eye campaign, and expanded our partnership with NhRP.

The Eye to Eye campaign invites people to post a picture posing eye-to-eye with their pets on social media. For every picture tagged with #HG_EyetoEye, we make a donation to the NhRP. We’ve had thousands of participants, which is a great reminder of the effect we can have when we come together.

We also raise funds for NhRP through our Unlocked collection, inspired by a documentary called Unlocking the Cage. That’s actually how I first discovered the organization and their work. We donate five percent of the profits from our new (and bestselling!) Unlocked Instant Extensions Mascara and all Unlocked products to the organization.

Why did you choose NhRP?

I’ve felt a connection to animals since I was young, so I knew when I started Hourglass that it had to be cruelty-free. I’m incredibly lucky to have been able to expand our purpose over the last few years—it happened very naturally.

Why was it important to incorporate a giving back component to your business model?

With every decision, we have the opportunity to make a positive impact. It’s really important for our team to make the most of that opportunity. I also think people are increasingly looking for brands that support their values, which shows in the response we’ve had to the Unlocked collection and our Eye to Eye campaign. We all want to feel good about the brands we’re supporting.

What kind of impact do you hope your contributions will make?

In the short term, we’re hoping to unlock the cages of wild animals in captivity and release them to sanctuaries. In the long term, we hope to foster respect and increase protection for living beings and their environments.