L’Oréal Citizen Day 2025 – Restoring Self-Esteem and Period Dignity

At In Kind Direct, we’re proud to have partnered with L’Oréal since 2000. Over the years, they’ve donated thousands of beauty and personal care essentials to our network – products that do far more than nourish skin. They’ve supported over 5,600 charitable organisations, helping people feel confident, dignified, and cared for, even in the most difficult circumstances. L’Oréal has donated personal care essentials ranging from hygiene products like shampoo to make up items like eye shadow pallets, lipstick and perfumes, to our network since 2000, helping boost dignity and self-esteem for thousands across the UK. L’Oréal’s commitment goes beyond products. Each year, through Citizen Day, employees around the world take part in a day of volunteering to give back to their communities.

For Citizen Day 2025, L’Oréal partnered with In Kind Direct to identify a grassroots organisation where their commitment to wellbeing could deliver meaningful, lasting impact. We introduced them to Flow Happy CIC, a dynamic London-based charity working to eliminate period poverty. Founded by Alvina, whose own lived experience of financial hardship informs the charity’s mission, Flow Happy CIC installs upcycled cabinets stocked with free period products across the capital, while also driving awareness through education and advocacy. As an organisation in our network, they regularly access essential items such as period products—but with only two staff members, managing the upkeep, restocking, and outreach remains an ongoing challenge.

On June 26th, 22 enthusiastic L’Oréal volunteers accepted the challenge, and in a single summer’s day they:

• Revitalised 9 collection cabinets with fresh paint, extending their lifespan and making them more inviting for users.
• Assembled 900 hygiene and beauty gift bags ready to boost confidence and self-esteem.
• Re-stocked 11 West London locations, ensuring that anyone who opened a Flow Happy CIC cabinet in the following weeks would find the products they needed.

Alvina told us that what would have taken her tiny team many days to complete was accomplished in hours, highlighting the enormous impact volunteering has on Flow Happy CIC’s operations.

For the volunteers, the impact was equally tangible. They met community members, learned first-hand about the realities of period poverty and saw how a simple act can go a long way.

At In Kind Direct, we create powerful partnerships that bring in essential usable products for our charitable network. L’Oréal’s decades-long generosity already touches thousands of lives through product donations; pairing that generosity with the energy of Citizen Day has turbo-charged a grassroots project fighting one of the UK’s hidden inequalities. Together, we’ve proved that beauty is more than a product on a shelf—it’s the collective power of people determined to lift one another up.

Our network partners continue to highlight the emotional impact of these donations. As one organisation shared:

“A big thank you to In Kind Direct and L’Oreal for their generous donation of sample foundations, which we included in the goody bags we put together for both Mother’s Day and International Women’s Day. Your donation has made a real difference to the women we support, giving them not just makeup, but a moment of self-care and a boost of confidence.

For many of the women we work with, life can be tough—whether they’re facing homelessness, giving birth alone, or escaping difficult situations. Something as simple as foundation made them feel seen and valued. The women were so touched to receive these small gifts on two days that celebrate their strength and resilience. It helped them face their challenges with a little more confidence and pride. One of the mothers who received a goody bag remarked that it was the first time she had experienced kindness since coming to this country and it made her feel more welcome.” – Blossom Education Limited.

💡 Explore L’Oréal products available for your organisation in our catalogue.