Doriane Dalati, Vice President, Chief Corporate Communications Officer, and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at L'Oréal Canada, was a supporter of Look Good Feel Better (LGFB) long before she was diagnosed herself. As a former makeup artist, Dalati volunteered with LGFB, and helped raise funds for cancer research. “LGFB was important to me even prior to what happened to me personally,” she says, “LGFB is a cause that's very close to my heart.”
A beautiful meshing of corporate values
From LGFB’s early days, L'Oréal Canada has been involved as a partner – initially offering expert advice surrounding wearing a wig and wig care. This type of philanthropy and community involvement has always been important to the company, whose signature tagline Create the Beauty that moves the world” speaks to believing in beauty that is inclusive, generous and sustainable and that is there to do good both for people and planet.
“We support LGFB because its work in assisting those who are going through probably one of the most difficult times in their life is more than important – it’s critical. These women aren’t feeling good and knowing that cosmetics can help to change that feeling is very powerful.” says Dalati.
L’Oréal has a definition of beauty that is inclusive and all-encompassing – which meshes well with LGFB’s approach and values. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” says Dalati. “Beauty is many things, and there’s beauty everywhere.” In helping women to feel like their best selves, LGFB also embraces a wide-ranging and broad definition of beauty. Beauty is not an objective standard – it is how someone feels, how they perceive themselves, and how they connect with others.
The power of empathy
Empathy is a major theme at L'Oréal Canada. After a one-year leave for cancer treatment, Dalati came back to L'Oréal with a new mindset and perspective. She shifted her focus and started working on a new project assigned to her by the president of L'Oréal: a global empathy project. The new initiative was all about the power of empathy and being of service to others.
“I went out and sourced empathy experts and built and launched a pilot program,” says Dalati. The program focused on using empathy to enhance the customer experience. Dalati found the concept of empathy deeply meaningful and impactful, especially after her own experience with cancer, which had helped her to realize firsthand the difference between empathy and sympathy.
“Today, this program is run worldwide,” says Dalati. The power of empathy is a core part of who we are, and so supporting LGFB and women facing cancer just comes naturally to us as an organization, as employees, and as people."
