From Our Founder: Orcé Cosmetics Partners with Rise

Beloved friends,

I read about Amanda Nguyen (founder of Rise Justice Labs) and her fight to push Congress to pass the Sexual Assault Survivor Bill of Rights in an article by Time.com in 2017. At the time, I had just embarked on my journey of building Orcé Cosmetics. It was a very emotional day for me, as reading about her assault and how it propelled her to advocate for other sexual assault survivors reminded me of what I had tried so hard to erase and forget.

Last year, I finally reached out to Amanda over email to let her know that seeing her courage in wearing her scars proudly in the spotlight, so other survivors who did not receive justice can have a voice in the public arena, inspired me tremendously. Her activism encouraged me to use Orcé Cosmetics as a platform to give voice to Asian women around the world, by raising awareness about the issues we commonly face – such as the limiting standards of beauty, lack of representation, and being overlooked by the beauty industry. Most of all, as a survivor myself, I believe that sexual assault is the ultimate violation of one’s agency – I’m deeply touched that her work through Rise Justice Labs is helping survivors reclaim their lives. However, this fight is not over.

Earlier this year, we were hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, sexual and domestic violence have increased by up to 3 times their average across the world. Due to restricted movements, many survivors find themselves trapped with their abusers and face greater difficulty than ever to seek help. Rise Justice Labs launched the Survivor Safe Haven initiative, which partners with local businesses across the United States to provide survivors of domestic or sexual violence with a safe space to call for help. As we work together to beat the pandemic by social distancing, many survivors continue to be stuck in dangerous situations. I’m proud to announce that Orcé Cosmetics will be partnering with Rise Justice Labs! Starting September 8, 15% of all net proceeds will be donated to support Survivor Safe Haven.

Tune in to my fireside chat with Amanda Nguyen on IGTV to hear our stories. As always – my team and I are so grateful for your support.

Sincerely,
Yu-Chen Shih