When Chiara Beer was almost 3 years old, she contracted chicken pox, which caused a stroke that resulted in hemiplegia (paralysis on one side of the body). In Beer's case, she lost the use of her right arm and hand. Now 28, Beer has a YouTube channel called “Chiara's One-Handed Life,” where she shares videos about applying makeup and styling hair with one hand, as well as living independently. “My first YouTube video in 2020 was how to do a high ponytail with one hand,” she says. “People asked questions, and it kind of grew from there.”

Beer, who lives in Winchester in England, has always been interested in fashion, and after graduating from college, she started posting her favorite outfits and ways to style them on her Instagram account. As she gained followers and shared more of her story, people began requesting one-handed tutorials for different beauty rituals. After she launched her YouTube channel, Beer connected with Different Strokes, a United Kingdom–based charity that provides support and information to young stroke survivors, and partnered with it to make Instagram content.

She was then introduced to Kohl Kreatives, an independent beauty brand in the U.K. that has accessible products for people who have trouble with fine motor skills. The company has makeup brushes that stand on their own, as well as some with nonrolling cuboid handles, which make them easier to pick up. Brushes from its Flex Collection are bendable, so they can be adjusted to any angle. Some makeup brushes come with an audio guide to direct those with vision impairments, which Beer appreciates since her stroke also affected her vision.

The brand's Contour Stickies, easy-to-peel stickers that are applied to certain points on the face, allow users to blend their contour products over them, then remove the stickers to create a chiseled look.

“Everyone is different and has different abilities, so making products that work for anyone makes life easier,” Beer says.

When Julie Rice, a product developer and founder of Inner Beauty Cosmetics, developed nerve complications from an autoimmune condition that resulted in partial paralysis in her right arm and hand, she redesigned her entire line to make it more accessible. She created magnetic closures for her lipsticks and balms and matte-grip caps and pump tops for her foundations, and used soft, nonslip material for her packaging.

“Having a magnetic closure on your cosmetic products is life-changing,” says Stephanie Cartin, 39, with a laugh. The entrepreneur from Palm Beach Gardens, FL, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in her early twenties. Currently in remission, she experiences occasional flare-ups such as tingling and loss of dexterity in her hands, difficulty walking, and problems with her vision. Cartin appreciates that Inner Beauty products are made with natural and plant-derived ingredients and can be applied without using brushes.

After she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, makeup artist Terri Bryant began to lose dexterity in her hand. Holding a makeup brush or maneuvering a mascara wand was much harder. These challenges got her thinking differently about packaging and design, and in February 2020, she launched Guide Beauty. The products include brushes with built-in finger rests to contribute to a more balanced arm posture as well as large handles for a better grip. Brush tips and tools are rounded to reduce the risk of accidental eye poking, and eyeshadow palettes come in extra-wide compacts that are easy to open.

In 2022, Bryant hired actor Selma Blair as Guide Beauty's chief creative officer. Blair, who has multiple sclerosis, had revealed that she had stopped wearing makeup and even looking at herself in the mirror. Blair says she considers makeup a tool for expressing character, and once she began using Guide Beauty products, she looked and felt better.

More brands have been creating accessible cosmetics over the past several years, says Xian Horn, a disability advocate and beauty consultant with cerebral palsy. Horn works with major brands to reimagine disability representation in fashion, beauty, and media.

Last year, Olay debuted a new lid with easy-to-grip wings and a high-contrast label and braille text for one of its sculpting creams. In March, Revlon released its Comfort + Control line of tools—tweezers, eyelash curler, and nail clippers—that have a nonslip finish and ergonomic designs. Drunk Elephant, a beauty line that launched in 2013, uses pop-top lids and airless pump jars. Rare Beauty, a makeup brand created by actress and singer Selena Gomez, who has lupus, uses matte packaging that's less likely to slip from users’ hands and larger tubes for a better grip. Certain Rare Beauty products, including liquid blushes, highlighters, and lip products, feature caps with spheres for easy twisting.

In January, Lancôme unveiled HAPTA, a computerized makeup applicator for people who have trouble raising their arms or limited grip strength or wrist mobility. Users attach a lipstick or mascara into the handle of the motorized device, which automatically turns on. As users apply the product, HAPTA counteracts any unintentional movements to keep the product level and deliver the makeup precisely. The product is not yet commercially available, but customers can sign up on the waiting list on Lancôme's website.

Accessible products help people with neurologic conditions like essential tremor, stroke, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, MS, traumatic brain injury, and autism, but they also can help people with injuries such as a broken arm or surgery-related limitations. A brand that's designing for someone who has limited mobility also is designing for a busy mom who may have only one hand to spare while putting on makeup quickly, says Horn.

“Whenever you make something easier for one community, you're making it easier for everyone,” says Horn. “If you invest in us, we will invest back. But also, if you invest in us, you really invest in everyone. You can only win by making your product more accessible.”

Accessible Makeup Tips

Chiara Beer, a beauty influencer with hemiplegia, shares advice for using and applying makeup.

Look for squeezable tubes. Packaging that can be pushed down easily and squeezed is helpful. Beer puts the product on her arm or another surface if she needs to apply a little bit at a time.

Find pop-top lids. Tops that can be popped off or flicked up are ideal.

Try different formulas. Liquids and creams can get messy, especially if they start dripping or running down your face faster than you can blend them in. Beer uses balms and thicker creams that she can apply to the skin and then blend in at her own pace. Many stick and balm products are three-in-one formulas that can be used on the eyes, lips, and cheeks, and they may have pop-top lids, which are easier to open.

Practice and have patience. When she was a child and someone put her hair in a ponytail, Beer would feel around the elastic to understand how it wrapped. Then she'd use another hair tie to wrap around the existing ponytail, just to get a feel for how it was done. “I did that for a while until I figured out a way to do it myself,” she says.

Ask for help. Mascara, with its twist-off cap and messy formula, is by far the hardest product to apply, Beer says. She has someone remove the cap before she applies it. There's no shame in asking for help, she says.