Although it might be a long time coming, it’s really exciting to see brands step into diversity and inclusion. While fashion has yet to embrace neurodiversity and Clubhouse struggles with accessibility, Degree Deodorant is flourishing.

The brand announced Degree Inclusive, the world’s first deodorant for people with disabilities. The item has a hooked design for one-handed usage and magnetic closures to easily close the deodorant for individuals with limited grip or vision impairment. In addition, there is a braille label and instructions. Think about it, when was the last time you saw personal care options for people with disabilities?

Degree shared the following statement:

“We saw that across the beauty and personal care industries there just really isn’t any deodorant product that’s really suitable for people with upper body disabilities or visual impairments, so the opportunity to help would be a great idea. We knew we didn’t want to just on our own try to guess what the needs were of the community we were trying to serve, so we thought it was really important to co-create alongside people with challenges and disabilities to really make sure it would fit the needs.”

The company shared that the product has been in development for over a year and was carefully designed with insight from occupational therapists, engineers and real people with disabilities across the world. The deodorant is not officially on the market but the prototype is being tested on 200 people right now, and if all goes well, it will be for sale very soon. Degree Inclusive is part of a wider initiative that parent company Unilever has launched called positive beauty vision and strategy. This segment of the megacompany focuses on being planet- and people-positive.

“Our goal is to improve the health, confidence, and well-being of more than a billion people around the world by 2030, and more importantly drive and champion for inclusivity in the whole beauty and self-care industry. Making sure we are serving the underserved, and those with disabilities are often part of that group, is a commitment. This is just the beginning.”

We are happy to see that Degree is working to move the needle in inclusion in the grooming industry, especially since the disabled community is fast forgotten in so many other skincare brands and initiatives. Earlier this year, Nike released a hands-free shoe for easier accessibility to those in need.

Photo via Degree