Where to Donate Your Unwanted Beauty and Skincare Products

Do you have new or slightly used beauty products that have been taking up space on your shelves? Don't just throw out unwanted beauty products. Here's how to donate to organizations that'll accept them instead.

LOCAL to Massachusetts

  1. Lifebridge North Shore For more than three decades, Lifebridge has been working to meet the most urgent needs of the homeless and under-housed on the North Shore of Massachusetts. More than 300 different individuals will receive services from Lifebridge North Shore across its three locations every day.

  2. Healing Abused and Working For Change (HAWC) Strives to help abused women, children, men, and nonbinary people live free from violence and fear. As a leading domestic violence agency in Massachusetts, HAWC provides a domestic violence helpline, emergency shelter, legal services, advocacy and counseling services to more than 2,500 families in the North Shore area each year.

  3. Women’s Lunch Place (WLP) opened its doors in November of 1982 to serve women a hot lunch in a safe welcoming place. We have grown from serving lunch three times a week into a vibrant and supportive day community that is open six days a week. We serve healthy breakfasts and lunches, and we also provide basic necessities and services that help restore dignity and hope.

*Please note that WLP can only accept new/unused items due to sanitation restrictions.

If you are not local to Massachusetts, you can find donation centers across the country. 

National

  1. Project Beauty Share provides personal hygiene, cosmetics and beauty products to non-profit organizations who serve women and families overcoming abuse, addiction, homelessness and poverty to help restore hope and dignity in their lives.

  2. Beauty Bus Beauty Bus was founded in memory of Melissa Marantz Nealy, whose life was cut short at the young age of 28 by a degenerative neuromuscular disease. Melissa became homebound as her disease progressed. In an effort to lift her spirits, her family arranged for in-home haircuts, manicures, and facials. Melissa said these treatments made her feel "human again." Melissa’s family founded Beauty Bus Foundation in 2009 to offer this same experience of dignity, hope and respite to other families when they need it most.

Each organization has different requirements on the products they accept. Most organizations will not accept products that are expired, so be sure to check those expiration dates before sending your products out. Others will allow used products but products must be at least 3/4 full. You can make a change; even a small donation is helpful. If you have additional items you'd like to in-kind donate, or you'd like to keep your donations local. Be sure to google your local homeless shelters to find the right fit for you.

Please keep in mind that due to COVID-19, some organizations have stopped allowing physical items to be sent directly to their offices. Here are a few locations still accepting items in-person: https://www.family-to-family.org/share-your-beauty/, and if you are unable to donate in person, most shelters have listed an amazon wish list or their donation page for you to contribute help.