Rare Beauty and the importance of accessible packaging

An enlarged, dome-like lid can be pressed with the flat of the hand, four fingers, or just one to release the fragrance. It’s a detail that – to the able-bodied among us – would probably go overlooked. But those with difficulties using one or both hands have commended the company for considering something that has otherwise been disregarded in the beauty industry.

‘I fractured my arm as an adult a few years ago and was so frustrated with how difficult it [was] to do basic things one handed,’ wrote one reddit user beneath an article about Rare Beauty’s new product development.

‘I was only in a sling for a month or so but it completely changed how I think about these things.’

This speaks to why Rare Beauty is making such an impact: the changes required to deliver such considerable results are minimal. Any person – or brand – can follow suit with relatively little upheaval. And yet launches like this are still considered revolutionary.

‘The positive comments section alone proves this is a step in the right direction,’ writes Charlotte Mitmead for Stylist.

‘While there’s been positive changes within make-up, hair and even skincare, with brands such as Tilt and Human Beauty leading the charge, fragrance seems to have been left out of the conversation – but Rare Beauty is now righting that wrong.’

This gap exposes the beauty industry’s priorities. While companies will happily repackage products in seasonal colours or spend millions on celebrity endorsements, they are far slower to invest in designs that could make products usable for millions more people.

Accessibility might not photograph as well as glittery campaigns – but for those who need it, it’s the difference between being included and being ignored.

The timing also matters. Conversations about inclusivity in beauty have expanded in the last decade, from foundation shades to body diversity in campaigns. But accessibility for disabled consumers remains an afterthought, often siloed into ‘special’ product lines rather than integrated into mainstream offerings.

Rare Beauty’s fragrance challenges this separation – not by making a ‘disability-friendly perfume,’ but by making a perfume that works for everyone.

Gomez’s celebrity certainly helps amplify the message. But the impact of Rare Beauty’s accessible fragrance lies in its ordinariness: it’s not a limited edition or a niche experiment. It’s a mainstream product in a mass-market line, designed from the outset with disabled consumers in mind.

If inclusivity really is the beauty industry’s favourite word, it’s time for brands to prove they mean it. And despite what the name might indicate, accessibility shouldn’t be rare.