How Rare Beauty scaled its Made Accessible initiative with a global team

Make up, made accessible

“I know that might seem like a little thing, but it’s really not.”

Selena Gomez, Founder of Rare Beauty

Rare Beauty partnered with Casa Colina Research Institute (CCRI) to conduct a study to identify the features that made the product accessible for people with limited hand and arm mobility.

The research identified three key factors in accessible product design:

• Packaging that is easy to open and close
• Finishes that allow for a secure grip
• Applicators that are comfortable to hold and maneuver with precision

With these findings, Rare Beauty doubled down on innovative accessible features, such as oversized pumps — designed for use with any part of the hand or body — and cap designs with minimal resistance for easy opening.

But the impact of the work went far beyond packaging specs. It showed that even with limited hand and arm mobility, people can still partake in the beauty community, something many had assumed was no longer possible after illness or injury.

“Make up is part of self care, of helping people get their life back,” says Quissell.

The global problem

“The only way to make a great product that resonates with people is to have a diverse team.”

Karin Quissell, Director of Research and Development

Accessibility looks different in different places. Regulatory standards vary. Consumer needs vary. What works for a customer in North America may not reflect the experience of someone in Singapore or the UAE. To do the Made Accessible initiative justice, Rare Beauty needed people embedded in those markets, not just distributing products there, but listening, learning, and feeding those insights back into product development.

“Local talent provides firsthand insight into regional consumer behavior, regulations, and market dynamics, leading to better product development, more effective marketing, and less potential for cultural missteps,” Anita says. 

This is critical for any global brand, but doubly so for Rare Beauty’s Made Accessible initiatives, which relies on-the-ground insights from local communities to drive product innovation.

“Your market is diverse,” Quissell says. “The only way to make a great product that resonates with people is to have a diverse team.”

But working with talent around the world posed a challenge for the US-based brand. Setting up local entities would take months, create heavy administrative overhead for the HR team, and open them up to liability.

Rare Beauty needed a solution that would help them to efficiently onboard key talent without getting bogged down in admin or compliance challenges.

Enter Multiplier

“Multiplier has been a supportive partner in our growth.”

Anita Punjabi, Head of People and Culture at Rare Beauty

Anita Punjabi, Head of People and Culture at Rare Beauty, decided that the best path forward was to establish a partnership with an Employer of Record (EOR), to act as a local employer for Rare Beauty’s global team.

After evaluation, Rare Beauty decided to partner with Multiplier, because it “could help us streamline logistics, support us on regional legal requirements, and act as an intermediary to provide the best knowledge and support to our global team members,” says Punjabi.

Over three years of collaboration, Multiplier has served as an infrastructure partner enabling Rare Beauty to hire more than twenty team members across six countries — including France, Singapore, Canada, the UK, Australia, and the UAE.

The team actively helps Rare Beauty manage specific local compliance issues. For example, in France, their largest international market, Multiplier’s payroll experts help navigate the complexities of weekend pay regulations and salaried timesheet compliance to ensure the company stays legally protected.

“Multiplier has been a supportive partner in our growth by evaluating unique circumstances and offering tailored solutions that meet our specific needs,” says Punjabi.

Accessibility at scale

“Global perspective is absolutely necessary for a brand that is built on inclusivity.”

Karin Quissell, Director of Research and Development

The transition to Multiplier helped Rare Beauty’s HR leadership to hire globally and to trust that their international workforce is operating in full compliance across the board.

Most importantly, a global team has paid dividends for the company’s Made Accessible Initiative. 

With Multiplier’s assistance, Rare Beauty has brought on liaisons that help them to tap into local communities and refine packaging solutions that reflect real-world needs.

This global reach is already producing results. A new Rare Beauty Eau de Parfum recently won an award from Women’s Wear Daily for replacing the one-finger actuator typical of fragrance brands with an oversized pump anyone can use.

Rare Beauty has ambitions to lead a larger shift toward accessibility across the market, making their research available for other brands interested in making their packaging design more inclusive. 

“By focusing on accessibility we hope to highlight the need for more conscious, accessible design across consumer product industries,” Quissell says.

“Designing with accessibility in mind always ends up having positive effects on everyone using your products,” Quissell continues, “even beyond those they may have been designed for.”

As Rare Beauty grows into new communities with Multiplier, its vision for accessibility grows with it.