Since 1994, 100 percent of sales from MAC‘s Viva Glam lipstick have raised more than $500 million for those affected by HIV/AIDS virus. Last week, however, the iconic brand announced it will dedicate $10 million towards 250 local organizations, in the U.S. and internationally, that are making a direct impact helping people at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a statement from the brand, this additional support will provide MAC’s existing partners with emergency relief funds to provide vital services, including food delivery, medication support, and testing and treating diagnosed COVID-19 cases, especially among the immunocompromised. But while this expands the Viva Glam mission, it doesn’t mean its focus has completely shifted.
“Viva Glam has never been about one cause, but about support to vulnerable communities. It was created many years ago simply as a hardship fund for people who needed safety nets,” John Demsey, Chairman of the MAC Viva Glam Fund and executive group president of The Estée Lauder Companies, said in the statement. “To leverage this 100-percent giving model to help people affected by COVID-19 is a continuation of the principles VIVA GLAM was founded on from its inception.”
To help support the efforts, purchase any current shade of Viva Glam Lipstick or post an Instagram message sharing a “virtual kiss of gratitude to those on the front lines” using the hashtag #mackissofgratitude.