Coles have now also responded to my letter and our petition.

By providing all 40 shades of the foundation in stores, the Coles trial will mark the very first time that people of all skin colours will be able to purchase affordable foundation from an Australian supermarket.

This trial will provide access to groups who have long been disadvantaged, including Black, Indigenous and People of colour, people with disabilities who have limited access to shops, people with skin pigmentation disorders, low-income earners and if the trial is successful, also those living in regional areas with limited access to make-up stores.

If these companies want to see demand, let’s show them as a collective that we have had enough of being on the outer and want to finally be seen! I will provide more details on how you can support this campaign over the upcoming weeks!

Here is the letter from Coles Management:

"I can understand and empathise with your frustration when it comes to not being able to easily access the product of your choice. With more than 22 million customer transactions every week, ensuring we stock a range of products that are representative of our diverse customer base is something we are continually assessing, but we acknowledge that we could be doing better, and we are taking steps to address this.

In relation to our cosmetic range, we will be undertaking a three-month trial both online and in-store, starting in late August with our supplier Maybelline.

During this time, we will be offering the full range of Maybelline Fit Me Matte & Poreless Foundation, tripling the current range available to Coles customers including 40 shades in total.

We have specifically chosen ten stores that service a large number of postcodes and diverse customer base, who can provide us with valuable feedback. This includes three stores in New South Wales, four in Victoria, and one each in Queensland, South Australia and the ACT. Subject to customer feedback, we would then look to roll this out more broadly across our stores.

In the meantime, we are also conducting a thorough range review of our cosmetics category and looking for opportunities to work with suppliers to offer a more diverse and inclusive range of products in store and online. The process will be ongoing for several months, and we look forward to launching a refreshed product offering in early 2022."

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