It’s in your hands….

I’m passionate about beauty and all the permutations it comes in; be it beauty for confidence, self esteem, Dutch-courage or a coat of self armour for the day ahead. Being a social worker often brings me into contact with people severely lacking in the above characteristics, people who through virtue of having a disability or impairment may have lost confidence in their own value and worth, both in their personal and work life.

I’m also lucky.  I have a job, an empathetic employer and 99% of the time I am well enough to go to work. That in itself is a blessing compared to the 1 million plus disabled people who are currently out of work and struggling to find employment that suits their needs or the confidence to re-enter the work place.

‘1 million plus disabled people are currently out of work and struggling to find employment…’

Enter BECO (Better Considered). The new name in hand care cleansing and soap products that is also looking to change the landscape and mindset on employment for disabled and disadvantaged people. Founded by Camilla Marcus-Drew, BECO is a movement for meaningful change for employment for disabled and disadvantaged people and it puts that change solely in the hands of the consumer. To put it bluntly – the more products that are sold, the more jobs are created for people with disabilities.

The company’s workforce comprises of 80% disabled, disadvantaged and visually impaired employees and those employees are at the forefront of creating a new range of liquid and bar soaps that are not only creating jobs but are also eco friendly, vegan, cruelty free –  meeting the high standards of demanding beauty consumers these days.

The products don’t disappoint and, I can tell you, they smell gorgeous; I’ve currently got the honeysuckle liquid hand soap next to our kitchen sink and its non-drying formula is helping to keep the inevitable Autumnal dry hand syndrome at bay. BECO have also adopted the formula of a foaming liquid soap as it lasts 2 x longer than traditional liquid soaps meaning its eco credibility is boosted.

The traditional bar soaps smell equally as good, are hydrating, long lasting and high performing and if you are one of the many people committed to reducing plastic waste than a bar of traditional soap in the downstairs loo is a pretty good place to start!

For those wanting to reduce their plastic waste further a range of shampoo bars have launched in the enticingly fragrant sounding names of Honey Blossom and Spring Meadow, both of which are hypoallergenic, paraben and SLS free meaning you can happily use these on any member of the family, whatever their age, worry free.

‘Shampoo bars which are hypoallergenic, paraben and SLS free……’

BECO have taken things to the next level and are broadcasting the stories of individual members of their workforce to highlight the strengths and attributes they have, all of which contribute to making high-quality products. Take Ozzie for example, who’s attention to detail and eye for accuracy means every bar of soap is made to exacting standards or Stephen who is the current receptionist but has much higher ambitions in HR. BECO are dispelling the myths around people with disabilities, inviting employers up and down the country to ‘Steal our Staff’ – quite literally by placing their CV’s on the soap packets which you can pick up across varying stores.

This innovative, forward thinking and quite frankly applause-worthy approach to shouting the message that everyone deserves a fair shot at employment is a breath of fresh air and exactly what this country needs right now amidst all the turmoil and uncertainty.

We all have the ability to change lives – just through rethinking our every day essential product choices – wouldn’t you rather wash your hands with the knowledge that somewhere another person has been given a chance at a better future? I know I would…..

Jess X

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BECO products can be found in Waitrose, Sainsburys, Boots and Co-Op’s across the country.