March 8th marks International Women's Day 2012, a day to inspire women and celebrate their achievements. It's also a day in which we should give some time to thinking about women who are a lot less fortunate than us - yes, we're in the grips of a grim recession and things ain't good, but compared to many, our lives are actually pretty rosy.
Beauty companies are increasingly getting on board with International Women's Day and for some, just as it is with October's breast cancer awareness campaigns, it's an excuse to leverage coverage out of the day.
But others do it right: L'Occitane's Women’s Day Fund-Raising Soap contains 52% shea butter that's ethically-sourced from a women's co-op in Burkina Faso. It's just €5, and all the profits minus the VAT and travel costs go to the L'Occitane foundation, who will use the money raised to help fund the building of literacy centres for women in Burkina Faso, working with the Aide et Action NGO.
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The backstory here is great: the initiative came about when a team from L'Occitane encountered a Burkina Faso woman called Barkissa, who worked at a soap factory, Nununa, at which they were working on a joint-development project. She made soaps to help her family; L'Occitane stepped in to help, providing her with materials and training so she could set up a proper business.
Check the International International Women's Day website for events happening here today; are you doing anything to celebrate March 8th?
