MAC lipstick has raised $40 million to fight AIDS

NEW YORK — Good things come in small packages, and Viva Glam lipstick is a prime example.

Over the past 10 years, the lipstick by MAC Cosmetics has raised $40 million for the MAC AIDS Fund.

John Demsey, the chairman of the fund and acting president of MAC, says the lipstick is a good, respectable beauty product on its own, but the fact that 100 percent of the selling price — not only the proceeds — goes to charity has made it "the lipstick heard around the world."

"It brought incredible visibility to the HIV/AIDS issue in the cosmetics industry, and it's an emotional connection for people who work for us to be a part of something that's for the better good," he says.

MAC was created 20 years ago by former makeup artists, and it remains one of the most popular brands for fashion shows and photo shoots. The MAC AIDS Fund was born out of a sense of personal loss, explains Demsey, newly named as the global president of Estee Lauder, because the fashion and beauty industries were disproportionately affected by the disease in its early years.

But, notes Lilia Garcia-Leyva, executive director of the fund, the face of AIDS has changed over the years. "It's now a young woman's face," she says, noting the high HIV/AIDS rates found among women in Africa.

Viva Glam lipsticks are not part of an awareness or research campaign. The fund works with charities that provide daily essentials such as food, shelter and medicine, with a particular emphasis on children, Garcia-Leyva says.

Seasonal greeting cards created by youths affected by HIV/AIDS are another fund-raising tool. The Kids Helping Kids cards on their own have raised more than $1 million.

MAC also created a beauty program three years ago called Good Spirits, which helps women undergoing HIV/AIDS treatments look their best. The company's sales staff is trained to work with women in their own communities who are dealing with hollowing cheeks and shifting fat, particularly to the back of their necks, which are common side effects from their medicines, Garcia-Leyva explains.

"For many of these women, it's the first time anyone has shown an interest in them personally, not just medically," she says. "And for the first time, these women are trying to feel and look better."

Viva Glam has grown into a collection of five, and it's the only product that MAC does ads for.