http://www.avonworldwide.com/ Avon Media Centre /global/news/Who-Cares-Who-Does-report The third edition of the Kantar Who Cares, Who Does? report looks at the actions and attitudes of consumers towards the environment and society and how this impacts our purchasing decisions. The report asks the opinions of shoppers in 26 different countries to get a global picture of what really matters to us buying anything from beauty to bars of chocolate. Who Cares, Who Does? highlighted there are three groups of people when it comes to our shopping habits; Eco Actives, Eco Considerers and Eco Dismissers. The good news? More and more of us are becoming Eco Active shoppers year on year, rising from 16% when the report began in 2019 to 22% of us in 2021. More of us are now concerned about sustainability and follow the topic actively so that we’re more aware of our impact on the planet and society. Want to know even better news? Here at Avon, we’re helping shoppers to buy from a sustainable business that helps society and we’re proud to be part of a group of brands that puts purpose at the heart of everything we do. In the report, Avon is recognised as the top brand that does their bit for society, alongside our Natura &Co sister brands The Body Shop and Natura. Natura was also recognised as one of the top brands that do a lot for the environment. . You can read the full report here and find out more about our work to support women in society here.   Thu, 14 Oct 2021 04:00:00 GMT /global/news/Who-Cares-Who-Does-report /global/news/breast-cancer-month-Suzette-Vice This Breast Cancer Month, we’re reminding you of our importance of knowing the signs, knowing the risks and knowing how to take action through our 29-year Breast Cancer Promise. Independent Business Owner, Suzette Vice from South Africa shares her story of recognising the signs and symptoms and taking action to help raise awareness. In January 2015, I found a lump in my breast while having a shower. It was completely by accident that I found it, but I immediately sensed that there was a problem. At the time, I was an Avon Justine Area Sales Manager and I would regularly remind other ladies - my customers, Beauty Bosses, and Business Owners – to check their breasts themselves or attend their routine mammograms. I shared information on how to self-check as much as I could through online videos and other breast cancer educational material. I went for a mammogram after finding the lump and following several other tests, I was diagnosed with hormone triple-negative breast cancer. It was the devastating news. I never thought I would be diagnosed with breast cancer, let alone one of the most heart-breaking forms of the disease. Hormone triple-negative breast cancer is an aggressive breast cancer type that affects around 15% of those diagnosed and currently has no targeted treatment. Luckily for me, early detection saved my life, but many women are not as lucky. I was aware of the signs, the risks and how to take action. I had to go for an operation after which I spent a week in ICU, which is not the norm. Two months later I underwent months of chemotherapy and all I could do was have hope, believe that I will overcome the challenging period in my life. For me, it was important to stand tall and show the world what I was made of – a strong, courageous, powerful, woman who is not ordinary, but remarkable! It was a difficult time for me, my family and my team but staying strong for them was all I could think of. Amid all of it, they were my source of strength and I drew from their energy, positivity, faith, and hope. My family was there for me every step of the way, my faith gave me hope and I kept soldiering on. As a seed of motivation, my daughter created a chemotherapy visitation chart for me so that I could mark off every chemotherapy session completed. This motivated me as I could see how close I was to completing the last session. I knew that I was destined for great things; my love and compassion for people and business kept me thinking about my team. I thought about how everyone was doing, how I was going to work around it all, helping them remain focused and helping them to grow and sustain their business so that they can earn money and provide for their loved ones. When I found strength, I continued with my work. I learnt how to use online platforms to recruit and train my teams. I did everything I could to reach potential Beauty Bosses and customers online. I created something beautiful for myself and my business kept growing and I kept achieving my goals. I convinced myself that settling for average was not me. I triumphed through adversity and did not allow any negative perceptions of the disease to cloud my emotions or mind. Should you be traveling this testing journey or know someone who is, please seek and welcome support from a medical professional, talk to your loved ones about how you feel, and support those that are faced with the situation. By the end of October, it will be my 6th year in remission and I am enjoying my life, grateful for and welcome every new day. My advice to all women and men, young and old, is to check their breasts and chest at least once a month. If there is anything you find and are unsure of, be sure to go and see your doctor. Thu, 14 Oct 2021 04:00:00 GMT /global/news/breast-cancer-month-Suzette-Vice /global/news/secondary-breast-cancer-awareness-day Throughout October, we’re raising awareness Breast Cancer Awareness Month to ensure that everyone knows the signs, knows the risks and knows how to take action through our Breast Cancer Promise. But for those living with cancer after a secondary diagnosis, it’s just as important to know your body and take action if you notice any changes. This Secondary Breast Cancer Awareness Day, we spoke with Avon UK Representative Emily to speak about the importance of making secondaries count. Here’s her story… When everyone’s lives got turned upside down at the start of the pandemic, so did mine…and then some. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020 after finding a lump in my breast. I checked my chest regularly and had a good idea what was normal for me, so I wasn’t too worried even after a finding something because I was 29 at the time and there was no history of cancer in my family. After a referral, which wasn’t marked as urgent due to my age, and several conversations with my colleagues in A&E where I worked on reception at the time, I received a call following my scan. I was told it was cancer. My diagnosis was stage four, secondary breast cancer, meaning I would be receiving treatment for the rest of my life. My prognosis was two to three years, meaning I was classed as incurable. You can’t really prepare for an incurable cancer diagnosis before the age of 30. I did check my boobs regularly, I was aware of my body and any changes I swiftly followed up and got checked out, but I never thought I would be faced with this. Of course it was difficult to start with, especially for my family, my mum and my three daughters. My outlook on things changed too. Now, I’m incredibly open about my diagnosis and how it makes me feel, so that anyone I speak to knows the importance of knowing your body and taking action. I want them to know too that it’s ok to have bad days and that being honest about how you’re feeling is okay too. I’ve met lots of people through my treatment, some with secondary and many with primary breast cancer, which has been great to connecting with people with shared experience and help raise awareness together. More needs to be done however, for those living with cancer. 31 people a day will die of secondary breast cancer, it’s what kills people. In the UK, there are five new research programmes currently taking place into secondary cancer through charitable projects, but I also want to raise awareness of the importance of knowing your body after receiving a diagnosis. I’m an Avon Rep and I’m proud to raise awareness of the Avon Breast Cancer Promise – knowing the signs, risks and how to take action – but that’s the same for secondaries too. I want everyone reading this to know their body, know the signs and know it’s important to get checked out even after cancer. I share this message with my customers and I’d love for everyone reading this today to do the same, on Secondary Breast Cancer Day and beyond for the secondary community. We are not a write off, we are still living. We are living to life as long and a life as possible, not to be forgotten about. Emily Roberts Avon Representative Wed, 13 Oct 2021 04:00:00 GMT /global/news/secondary-breast-cancer-awareness-day /global/news/Beyond-anti-ageing If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that life is fragile. With this comes the awareness that ageing is a gift – and we’re seeing a change in attitudes to ageing as a beauty concern as a result. For so long, youth has been a focus of beauty – but now, consumers are turning away from products claiming to preserve, emulate or recapture youth. Instead, there is an increasing desire to embrace ourselves as we are. Hannah Roberts, Global Brand Director of ANEW, says: “A stark realisation that the pandemic has brought to us all is that getting older is not something to be afraid of or a battle ‘to win’, it’s something to strive for. So, in the conversations around skincare, we will see the shift in the narrative away from messages that we ‘should’ turn back time, towards conversations around effective products that address our specific needs to give us our most beautiful and resilient skin. Age does not define you, you will define you.” For example, there is a rising demand for ingredients that adapt to the precise needs of our skin, such as hormone-targeted products. As our 2020 Future of Beauty report revealed, women are unprepared and uninformed when it comes to the menopause and the changes in the body it can bring, and more of us seek solutions to alleviate the common symptoms affecting our skin. Avon Adapt is a range of products with innovative ingredients chosen to be effective for menopausal skin, including adaptogens derived from plant extracts, that works by “adapting” their function to bring balance and provide overall well-being. The embracing ageing trend has emerged alongside a movement towards authenticity, which is prized above apparent – filtered – perfection, as shown in the rise of real-life social media giant TikTok which has given a global platform to ‘real’ people, resulting in a countertrend to the highly polished world of Instagram that has dominated for so long. The end result for skincare and beauty is that the story is not about simply anti – or pro – ageing, but about authentic ageing: we understand our skin and want to give it what it needs to be healthy, strong and radiant, whatever our stage of life. To learn more about key trends in beauty and how the industry is changing due to the pandemic, check out our Future of Beauty report . Tue, 12 Oct 2021 04:00:00 GMT /global/news/Beyond-anti-ageing /global/news/world-mental-health-day As Head of Communications for Avon, my job is all about telling stories. On this World Mental Health Day, which falls in the heart of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I’m sharing my story about the impact this disease had on my mental as well as physical health and how I learned to cope. Back in 2016 I was living my best life – based in New York City, leading communications for Gap – when life threw me a gigantic curve ball. I found a lump on my right breast. I was used to checking myself, so I knew I need to go to the doctor, but life was really busy and I ended up cancelling the appointment. It was summer, I had a big crazy job, lots of travel plans (remember those times) and I convinced myself it was probably nothing. Finally in October, which ironically is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I did go to the doctor who said it was suspicious. After an ultrasound and biopsy a week later, I was told I had cancer and a pretty aggressive one at that. I was floored. My life turned upside down in a minute. Now the physical side of battling cancer is absolutely awful and debilitating and painful at times, but there are a series of decisions to make and steps to take – it’s the impact on your mental health that’s harder to figure out. Physically I knew I wanted to throw everything at it. I had a double mastectomy and seriously strong chemo – the kind so poisonous that the nurse has to be gowned up like a spaceman to administer it. Mentally it was another matter. You see I was alone in New York – I was single and had left my son in the UK with his father (that’s a whole other story) – work was my life and Gap was my family. Now I’m an ENTJ with off the scale J so of course I came up with a plan to get through this. A series of coping mechanisms which I think can apply to any personal crisis or tough time. 1. Get the facts, weigh up your options and make the right choice for you. Everyone has an opinion – they don’t all matter. 2. Find your people. Your cheer leaders and energy givers. Surround yourself with people who support you and believe in you. 3. Do what you love. Throwing yourself into something distracts you and energises you. For me it was working – something I was good at and could control in a time when everything else was out of control. 4. Seek joy. At my lowest, I thought I was going to die. Everyone has low points and I still do today, when I get scared that the cancer is going to come back. To cope I set goals, plan things to look forward to and that I love doing – simple pleasures that make me happy, a new (expensive) handbag, a Hendrick’s & Tonic at the end of a tough day or dancing to loud music like no one is watching. 5. Know when to ask for help. After my penultimate chemo session, I got out of bed and fell on the floor. I was still (somewhat foolishly) working and my body was done. I needed help, so I called my mum and she flew in to look after me. Through the worst period of my life, I learned how strong I could be and what was really important. My family and the very best friends. Balance – the best job in the world had become my world and it was time for a change. I needed to come home. And that’s what led me to Avon.   Every day we need to take care of our mental health, maybe even more right now as we navigate new ways of living and working. I hope that with my story I’ve shared some ways to cope. If you need help, reach out to your person. And if you don’t, be that person for someone else. “You’re not broken, you’re just a little bit bent.” Thu, 07 Oct 2021 04:00:00 GMT /global/news/world-mental-health-day