Sol de Janeiro is thinking charitably for its newest push.
The L’Occitane-owned beauty brand has created a foundation meant to benefit both environmental protection and female empowerment. It technically began in 2024, when Sol de Janeiro pledged $7 million. Since then, $5.77 million in grants have already benefited the Atlantic and Amazon rainforests in Brazil, as well as the Girls Opportunity Alliance that has been disseminated to almost 70 organizations and up to 150,000 women globally.
The 10-year-old brand is holding steady at around $1 billion in sales annually, said Heela Yang, cofounder and chief executive officer. “We’ve been running, running and running. We needed to take a pause,” she said. “The foundation is something that I’ve been wanting to do for a while.”
Yang also noted L’Occitane’s emphasis on sustainability, which has prompted her to start the process of attaining B Corp certification.
“We also have the financial freedom to do this, and the big difference between us and some other philanthropic efforts is the general company is making this direct donation from profits to the foundation, every penny. It’s a privately operating foundation.”
The foundation is helmed by Angela Peterson, who said that the causes to champion came from Sol de Janeiro’s own brand DNA. “There’s all the rich ingredients advertised,” Peterson said. “The way the brand speaks to these amazing fruits, nuts and plants sourced from around the world really lit up biodiversity in my mind.”
The company’s efforts are starting in Brazil, but will broaden more globally after the foundation gets off its feet. “And then, as it pertains to women and girls, there are so many ways to help empower and create access for this demographic,” Peterson continued. “Within that pillar, we’re funding organizations that create access and provide resources to women and girls to achieve their full potential.”
Sol de Janeiro Foundation has already found over 20 partners, a process that isn’t taken lightly. “We do all the due diligence,” Yang said.
Case in point, Peterson referenced a five-year plan with the Obama Foundation. “This allows for a multiyear plan when you’re normally fighting for every penny,” she said. “We co-create and build ideas and are dreaming about where we can bring this to. Every day, we take this step-by-step.
“This is very important, the idea of doing things or the long term,” Yang added. “That’s how we work at Sol. It’s never about transactions with retailers or consumers, we look at it long term and plan it out. Of course we have sales targets, we run a tight ship. But this long-term view is deeply ingrained in how we do business and set up the foundation.”
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