Herbal Essences Is Making Its Packaging Accessible to Those With Impaired Vision

Despite the fashion and beauty industries slowly making strides toward greater inclusivity and accessibility, there are still so many products on the market that have yet to be adjusted in any way to make them more usable for consumers with certain needs or disabilities. However, it appears Herbal Essences might be one of the first brands to get on board with catering to the aforementioned people. It announced on Thursday, October 11, aka World Sight Day, a new initiative to do its part in making some of those previously-inaccessible products — namely, shampoo and conditioner — much more accessible for those with little to no vision.

The initiative in question comprises a total redesign for the packaging of the brand's Bio:Renew line of botanical shampoos and conditioners. According to Herbal Essences, the redesigned shampoo bottles will feature a row of raised lines on the bottom of the back of the bottle — "S" for shampoo, "S" for stripes — while the conditioner bottles will have two rows of raised dots in the same place with a "C" for reference. The new and improved bottles will be available in stores beginning January 2019.

The design overhaul was in part the brainchild of inclusive designer Sam Latif, who is blind. In a video shared by Herbal Essences, Latif explains why it's so important for large, influential companies to make significant strides toward greater accessibility. "It's just a little thing, but there's hundreds of these little things that we have to spend time looking for every day," Latif said. "This little change, it's just made such a big difference in my life."

He also notes that those with impaired vision aren't the only ones who will reap the benefits of the new bottles: "This packaging innovation doesn't only help people with low or no vision. It helps people who don't have English as a first language, like my mum."

Well, cheers to that, right? Check out the products below in all their inclusive glory.

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