Lush champions transgender rights with a new campaign

Natural beauty brand Lush Cosmetics is shining a spotlight on transgender rights with its latest campaign.

The cosmetics giant has partnered with the National Center for Transgender Equality and the Canadian Centre for Gender & Sexual Diversity on a 14-day campaign dubbed "Trans Rights Are Human Rights."

Shoppers can support the cause by purchasing the brand's new limited-edition bath melt "Inner Truth", which will have 100% of its sales directed to organizations that support the trans community in North America. Containing fair trade organic cocoa butter and uplifting orange oil, the melt promises to soften and moisturize skin when added to a hot bath.

Throughout the duration of the campaign, the brand's North American store windows will be stripped free of products and decorated with screens showing quotes from its own transgender and non-binary staff members. It has also launched an online platform full of resources for the trans community and anyone else to learn about how to be a good "ally."

The move is the latest indication that the beauty and fashion industries are waking up to the need for greater diversification when it comes to transgender representatives. Major brands such as L'Oréal Paris, which included transgender model and trans rights activist Hari Nef in its "Your Skin, Your Story" campaign last January and later briefly hired transgender model Munroe Bergdorf to star in its #allworthit campaign, has made an effort to be a part of the conversation. The relationship with Bergdorf was ill-fated, but she was later snapped up by rival brand Illamasqua to front a seasonal campaign.

Meanwhile, last December saw the launch of unisex makeup brand Jecca, which was designed with transgender women in mind, while Valentina Sampaio became the first transgender model to land a French magazine cover when she posed for Vogue Paris's March issue.

Further information about the "Trans Rights Are Human Rights" campaign can be found on Lush's website.