We will all experience disability at some point in our lives. Today, 60 million adults in the US live with a disability. That’s 1 in 4 people. Yet, our most basic hygiene products cannot be used without help by this large group. A deodorant seems like a trivial, mundane thing. Until you can’t open the cap, press down on the aerosol or apply it. Imagine the importance of deodorant for your confidence. Then imagine you are sweating more, because you are in a wheelchair…. Degree Inclusive is revolutionizing design. It will make more products & communications accessible for EVERYONE.?

Degree, the world’s #1 deodorant, has an inclusive purpose – “To inspire confidence in everyone to move more”. The brand recognizes that movement matters for both physical and mental health.

Deodorant is something most of us take for granted. Yet if you’re disabled, doing things the rest of us give little thought to – unscrewing the cap on a roll-on or pressing a spray - is a real challenge.

People with disabilities often apply deodorant multiple times a day, and on multiple parts of their body. We believe that the 22 million Americans with permanent disabilities affecting their arms or vision should be able to take care of?their?hygiene needs independently and feel comfortable to move.

We therefore launched Degree Inclusive, and in doing so, setting a new inclusive design standard for others to follow.

We wanted to revolutionize deodorant design to include everyone, however they are able to move. Degree Inclusive is the world’s first inclusive deodorant for people who are blind and/or people with upper limb mobility difficulties. (Which could also be any of us at times without our glasses, with a broken arm, or just as we get a bit older).

By co-creating the product with the disabled community themselves, we have designed a deodorant that’s easier to handle, easier to identify, easier to open and close, easier to apply. In fact, it can be opened and used with your mouth and feet if you are unable to use your arms or hands.

Degree Inclusive is gender neutral as well as refillable.

We believe that inclusive design is simply better design.

We adopted a process that was inclusive from the very start. We ideated, co-created and launched this design together with the disabled community. Our team was comprised of designers, engineers, an occupational therapist, psychotherapist and members of the disabled community.

To optimize the design and product formulation, Degree created a beta program in the US to engage people with disabilities to trial the design and give their feedback on its concept, product features, and messaging, helping to improve all elements of the product and marketing mix to ensure an end-to-end inclusive customer experience.

It was also important in communications to feature real people with disabilities, not just Paralympians, and tell real stories about their passions and challenges from their point of view. Unlike most communications, all our content is totally accessible via closed captioning and audio descriptions.

Degree Inclusive is easier to handle, identify, open, close and apply, thanks to:

- A hooked design for one-handed usage

- A braille label with instructions

- Magnetic closures

- Enhanced grip placement

- A larger roll-on applicator to reach more surface area per swipe

- Refillable

The beta product launch was supported by 2 hero films telling the story of Nick, a barber with no hands who is also a boxer and Maria, who is blind yet skates beautifully. Their stories and the story of the product and its co-collaborators, were told on social media and amplified by the disabled community and some of the most high-profile TV and press in the US.

As GLAMOUR put it "Degree just made history by announcing the world's first adaptive deodorant".

The launch reached 2 billion earned impressions in the first 12 days, and hit major news media across US and Europe like Good Morning America, Wall Street Journal, ABC News, Fast Company, ELLE, Allure, Glamour, Daily Mail and The Independent.

Organic engagement with the whole Degree brand doubled.

The disabled community responded in droves - testament to just how ground breaking this launch is. An example of one of the powerful messages of hope and celebration

“OMG! Every single day that I put on deodorant I think about how hard it is to get off the cap and how they could make it so much easier!”

Most importantly, thanks to Degree Inclusive, the work to make more personal care products accessible and inclusive, has now begun in both Haircare and Skincare categories. ?