As a leader in the beauty industry, L’Oréal has a longstanding commitment to contribute positively to the needs of society, using its expertise as a force for good. As such, the company is constantly looking for ways to empower women, advance scientific knowledge, and support vulnerable communities.
The Fondation L’Oréal is the corporate foundation of the L’Oréal Group. It was founded in 2007 to support women across the world, helping them to fulfil their potential in two major areas that sit at the heart of the Group’s DNA: scientific research and inclusive beauty.
Building momentum on gender equality in science
At a global level, we collectively face major challenges – climate change, a loss in biodiversity, and risks to our health. These challenges facing humanity are unprecedented in scale. It is clear that science is and will be one of the keys that enables us to address those issues, as it has always been at crucial moments throughout history. However, women continue to face significant obstacles in making their full-fledged contribution to scientific solutions.
Women account for less than 30% of researchers. This percentage falls by more than half when it comes to executive positions. Established in 1998 and managed by the Fondation L’Oréal in partnership with UNESCO, the “For Women in Science” program seeks to improve the representation of women in scientific careers, strong in the conviction that the world needs science, and that science needs women.
The L’ORÉAL-UNESCO program “For Women in Science” has been active in Ukraine since 2018. In April 2021 L’Oréal Ukraine launched its fourth season of the program in Ukraine.
The program targets young female professionals involved in research across STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) areas by recruiting from institutions of higher education, research centers at these institutions, or the National Academy of Sciences. Applicants must have a scientific degree, publications in journals indexed in Scopus International Scientometric Databases and/or Web of Science, and be socially engaged in promoting science.
Applications for the fourth season of the Ukrainian L’Oréal-UNESCO Award “For Women in Science” will be accepted via the platform https://www.forwomeninscience.
The panel of judges are leading scientists in Ukraine – members of academia and recognized experts in STEM fields who have an impeccable scientific and ethical reputation. Each of the three Laureates will be offered a cash prize of Hr 150,000.
BEAUTY FOR A BETTER LIFE
Convinced that beauty is at the core of reconstructing lives and an important element of social inclusion, the Fondation L’Oréal also developed an outstanding free training course in beauty professions for people from vulnerable groups. The Fondation provides access to beauty and wellness treatments in medical and social settings, supporting people exposed to physical, psychological, or social suffering, as well as the negative effects of reconstructive surgery.
In Ukraine, the “Beauty for a Better Life” program was launched in 2017. The project aims to teach women who have suffered from domestic violence or gender-related abuse the basics of hairdressing skills to help them build a path to a better life. The training course is taught by highly experienced practitioners specially trained in MATRIX brand products. In February 2021, L’Oréal Ukraine started their 5th season of the program in two cities: Kyiv and Lviv. Within five months, from February to June 2021, 74 participants will be trained in groups in compliance with all safety measures. The program provides more than 500 hours of training both online and offline.
Solidarity of local teams
Employees’ solidarity is an integral part of corporate social responsibility, especially in times of social distancing. Therefore, as part of Social Responsibility Day — Citizen Day, held online in 2020 with the joint efforts of employees, the company donated Hr 250,000 to the charity fund “Tabletochki” to cover the cost of medicine for children with cancer, as well as provided educational webinars for more than 60 people.
In
March 2021 the L’Oréal Paris team launched its first large social programme “Stand Up” to fight against street harassment. L’Oréal Paris aims to end street harassment in public spaces. L’Oréal Paris together with Hollaback, an NGO based in New York that is a global leader in the movement to end harassment, and the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine (UNFPA) have launched the “Stand Up Against Street Harassment” educational program in Ukraine. The program aims to teach one million men and women all over the world what to do if you experience or witness street harassment. To get access to the online training go to stand-up.ukraine.com. 
