The best of beauty, accessible to every eye, lip, face... and now, mind.
TOOLS
Illustrator, Photoshop, Google Studio (For Concept Renders)
TIMELINE
4 Weeks,
Summer 2026
TEAM
Zahra Maroof, Mame Ndaiye, Sofia Farmer & Antara Kshirsagar
1 OF 3 WINNING TEAMS (OF 20)!
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Beauty has made strides toward inclusivity, but neurodivergent consumers remain largely overlooked. During my summer internship at e.l.f. Beauty, my capstone project, Accessibility, the e.l.f. Way, explored how the brand could expand its commitment to inclusivity beyond physical accessibility to embrace cognitive and sensory differences.
Our research-driven strategy proposed a sensory accessibility standard across retail and digital experiences, innovative beauty tools designed around neurodivergent needs, and community-led co-creation. By reframing accessibility as a catalyst for innovation rather than an accommodation, we envisioned a more inclusive, culturally relevant future for e.l.f. Selected as one of three winning projects from 20 teams, we had the opportunity to present our proposal to e.l.f. Beauty’s Board of Directors.
first round of presentations
THE ACCESSIBILITY HUB: a central destination that brings all our accessibility resources together in one intuitive, easy-to-navigate experience.
THE ACCESSIBILITY HUB: a central destination that brings all our accessibility resources together in one intuitive, easy-to-navigate experience.
proposed sensory friendly endcap in ulta:
proposed sensory friendly endcap in ulta:
THE PROBLEM SPACE
The Next Generation of Beauty.
Neurodivergence is an umbrella term for the variation in how brains process sensory inputs, covering autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and more. Neurodivergence covers differences in how people process sensory input, including autism, ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia. In the posts and reviews we read, the same barriers kept coming up: sticky textures, strong scents, and not knowing what a formula will feel like until it’s already on your skin. Beauty has made real progress on physical accessibility, but sensory needs are mostly ignored.
70%
53% of Gen-Z identifies as neurodivergent, this number is predicted to be 70% for Gen-Alpha (EY)
1.5x Growth
Inclusive beauty brands grew 1.5x faster in 2024. e.l.f. is named as one of the Certified Inclusive Brands that achieved the 18% growth rate (Circana + SeeMe Index, 2024, 40 brands)
80%
with 80% of disabilities hidden, there is a broad spectrum of conditions that sit under the neurodiverse umbrella (WGSN)
a sensory standard
A rating for how every product looks, feels and smells.
For a lot of neurodivergent shoppers, the hardest part of trying something new is not knowing what it will be like. So we designed a simple rating that tells you before you buy. It rates the three things people mentioned most (finish, viscosity and fragrance) on a five-point scale. Each point is matched to an e.l.f. product people already know, so “creamy” or “lightly fragranced” means something concrete. The scales are based on QDA, the sensory testing method the industry already uses.
THE ERGONOMIC E.L.FSSENTIALS
Integrating accessibility into e.l.f.’s product lineup.
e.l.f. already makes products people love, so instead of inventing new ones, we designed small tools that remove the part that gets in the way. Each one is built around touch.
THE ERGONOMIC E.L.FSSENTIALS
Integrating accessibility into e.l.f.’s product lineup.
e.l.f. already makes products people love, so instead of inventing new ones, we designed small tools that remove the part that gets in the way. Each one is built around touch.
the power grip pal
THE CLEAN SWEEP BRUSH COVERS
Tactile defensiveness makes direct contact with sticky texture feel overwhelming, averse or impossible.
The law of contagion: heightened sensitivity to contamination.
THE BARRIER
THE BARRIER
THE SOLUTION
THE SOLUTION
Designed for both digital and in-store shopping experiences.
A rating only helps if people see it at the moment they decide what to buy. That moment often happens away from the places most brands rely on: people with disabilities shop online nearly twice as often as everyone else, and in one survey 64% of autistic people said they avoid shopping in stores altogether. So we designed for both, creating an Accessibility Hub in the e.l.f. app & a sensory friendly endcap for Ulta. Online and on the shelf, shoppers see the same ratings, the same products and the same routine-based logic, so what they learn in one place carries over to the other.
Ulta is where most e.l.f. shoppers discover products in person, so we designed an endcap built for calm: nine products organised by routine, displayed alongside the new tools. We chose each product from what neurodivergent shoppers online kept calling their sensory favourites, so the shelf does the searching for you.
The Power Grip Primer is one of e.l.f.’s best sellers. Its tacky texture is loved for all-day wear, but aversion to sticky products is one of the most reported barriers to makeup and skincare in autism communities.
The Power Grip Pal is a soft silicone applicator shaped to fit the curve of the primer’s pump. A concave divot holds the formula, so you never touch it with your hands, and the silicone rinses clean in seconds.
Tool hygiene can become an accessibility barrier, whether from contamination anxiety, sensory sensitivity or the executive-function load of ADHD. 44.3% of makeup brush users rarely clean their brushes.
The Clean Sweep covers are custom-fit silicone covers that stop cross-contamination between uses. They double as a smooth silicone blending tool for anyone who dislikes the feel of bristles, and each one pairs with a specific e.l.f. brush.
snippets from our pitch deck
snippets from our pitch deck
snippets from our pitch deck
LIP OIL FIDGET KEYCHAIN
snippets from our pitch deck
get a grip brush cozies
THE BARRIER
THE SOLUTION
The Get A Grip Brush Cozies are interchangeable brush grips in three shapes and textures (dots, ridges and waffle). Each gives a distinct tactile reference point, using the same self-select logic as multi-texture sensory tools.
Dyspraxia & reduced proprioception makes hand position and pressure difficult to judge.
People with ADHD struggle to maintain a non-habitual grip without constant self-correction.
A launch for every e.l.f.
A limited-edition keychain in three tactile variations that holds an e.l.f. lip product. Research shows fidget tools can improve self-regulation, focus and on-task behaviour, so this builds accessibility into a product people already carry every day.
Final Thoughts
One of the most rewarding parts of this project was grounding our ideas in real consumer research and thinking critically about whether they could work inside an actual business. It pushed me to think about design beyond the creative process, balancing new ideas with practicality, scale and real impact.
It also changed what I think innovation looks like. Sometimes the most useful solution isn’t something entirely new; it’s improving what already exists so it works for more people.
View the full pitch deck →
Every product gets a sensory profile, shown on the shelf and in the app.
