Unilever’s Degree launches a deodorant for people with disabilities

Unilever’s deodorant brand Degree, also called Rexona, Sure and Shield, has launched Degree Inclusive. It is the world’s first inclusive deodorant for people with visual impairment and upper limb motor disabilities: Degree Inclusive.

Across the beauty and personal care industry, there is currently no deodorant product suitable for people with upper limb disabilities. Twisting the deodorant cap, turning the stick, or pushing down on an aerosol is a real challenge for those with limited arm mobility. Sometimes, the fear of sweating keeps people with disabilities from moving as much as they would like to.

Degree collaborated with SOUR, an award-winning international design studio. The Degree Inclusive prototype was co-developed with a cross-discipline team at Wunderman Thompson, led by its global head of inclusive design, Christina Mallon.

Degree Inclusive has been designed with the following revolutionary features:

● A hooked design for one-handed usage

● Magnetic closures that make it easier to take the cap off and put it back on for users with limited grip and/or vision impairment

● Enhanced grip placement for easier application for users with limited grip or no arms

● A Braille label with instructions for users with vision impairment

● A larger roll-on applicator to reach more surface area per swipe

“As a brand that’s committed to inspiring confidence in everyone to move more, Degree believes no one should be held back from breaking a sweat and enjoying the transformative benefits of movement,” said Kathryn Swallow, global Degree brand vice president.

“More than 60 million people in the US live with a disability, yet products and experiences are still not designed with this community in mind. With Degree Inclusive, we hope to inspire bold action across the industry to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal playing field.”

“As a disabled person, I’ve experienced first-hand the challenges of living in a world of conventional design, where most products and services are not designed with the disabled community in mind,” added Mallon.

“Being unable to access a basic utility like deodorant – something most people take for granted – has a huge impact on your ability to move and, therefore, your quality of life in general.”

“That’s why we’re incredibly proud to have partnered with Unilever to create this innovative and life-changing product. The very first deodorant designed by people with disabilities – for people with disabilities. We hope this will inspire more brands to take an inclusive and accessible approach to design.”