For World Sight Day, the Shine Foundation, Cheekbone Beauty and Mint are challenging the beauty industry to expand its standards for inclusivity to include those living with vision loss.

Shine, a Canadian not-for-profit that grants dreams to youth with severe physical disabilities, has collaborated with Toronto-based agency Mint and St. Catherines, Ont.-based cosmetics brand Cheekbone to create a makeup palette for visually impaired users, starting with Shine’s 9,000th dreamer, Scarlette.

Scarlette, a 14-year-old aspiring musician from Ontario who was born blind, had a dream that was simple yet profound: a makeover that would let her express herself as she feels inside.

“Self-expression should not come with any barriers, and it should not be just for the sighted,” Tiffany Houston, CEO at Shine, tells strategy. “Our goal is for every single one of our dreamers to be seen for who they are.”

The collaboration was developed through conversations between Scarlette, Shine and Cheekbone Beauty, an Indigenous-owned brand.

“It wasn’t even a question with [Cheekbone co-founder and CEO Jennifer Harper] when we first called her,” Houston recalls. “Her dream, which is what we do, is to see that all Indigenous girls feel beautiful. So it just was such a perfect match for us.”

Mint, which handled the campaign strategy and creative, helped translate Scarlette’s personal dream into a product and story with wider cultural impact.

“When we started to unpack that dream, what it revealed to us is that there wasn’t a way for Scarlette to be able to express herself in an industry that was designed for people who could see the makeup pallette,” Patrice Pollack, executive creative director at Mint, tells strategy. “It wasn’t about giving her a makeover. Instead, it was about giving her access to beauty on her own terms.”

The resulting prototype palette is tactile, audio-guided and designed for independence. Each colour is associated with a raised shape, helping users navigate the palette by touch. A QR code links to an audio guide that describes each shade and its suggested use.

“Accessibility wasn’t something we added to the design, it was the design,” Pollack says. “Empathy lets us understand the barrier, while equity, in my opinion, removes it.”

Shine Foundation is amplifying Scarlette’s dream through a national campaign. A 60-second film, influencer outreach, Cineplex placements, digital media and OOH advertising highlight the initiative while bringing focus to Shine’s broader mission. Mint also handled the media buy.

“Because it’s our 9,000th dream, we wanted it to be a celebration,” Houston says. “That’s why we’re trying to be louder and bolder, because we are small, but we see the impact.”

Launched on Thursday to coincide with World Sight Day, the awareness campaign serves to drive donations toward the foundation’s goal of delivering a dream every day by 2030. This year, Houston says, Shine will deliver roughly 65 dreams.

With regards to the prototype, the intent is to draw attention from potential partners that can help bring Scarlette’s makeup palette to the larger visually impaired community.

Pollack says the collaborators are seeking a partnership with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind that could help validate the design and open up access to global beauty brands, accessibility organizations and design leaders.

“The intention here is to take a prototype and create a stir that sparks a conversation that leads to change,” Pollack says.