Superdrug and Unilever partner with Switchboard Helpline for 6th year and launch limited edition products to ‘Celebrate the Pride in You’

Superdrug and Unilever have announced that they are continuing their partnership in supporting Switchboard helpline this Pride month, with donations over the course of the partnership helping to fund Switchboard’s essential work in the LGBTQ+ community. 2023 marks the 6th year of Superdrug and Unilever’s partnership with Switchboard – a charity dedicated to providing vital support for the LGBTQIA+ community.

The ‘Celebrate the Pride in You’ campaign will further the brilliant efforts of Switchboard by supporting the running of their in-demand helpline and ensuring their supportive and empathetic volunteers always remain available to callers. The campaign will take over 5 Superdrug stores and generate excitement on Superdrug.com and social media.  Over the course of Pride month, the campaign will amplify the stories of Switchboard volunteers, Superdrug, and Unilever’s Proud Network, alongside an exciting influencer campaign.

Superdrug’s Trading Director, Megan Potter, says: “We are proud to have offered our continued to support the LGBTQ+ community through our partnership with Switchboard Helpline, a vital charity providing an essential service. Over the past six years, the partnership between Superdrug, Unilever and Switchboard has created real change by ensuring people have immediate access to the support they need.”

Stephanie Fuller, CEO at Switchboard LGBT+ Helpline says: “We are honoured to be partnering with Unilever and Superdrug for a sixth year this Pride Month! This partnership leverages our organisation immensely. It puts our brand in people’s homes, on products they see daily and use all year round, because our community needs support all year round, and not just during Pride Month. Our partnership with Unilever and Superdrug enables us to reach audiences that we would never be able to reach on our own. Seeing trusted brands like Unilever and Superdrug alongside our own lends confidence to people who may need to call us, which includes people calling for themselves or perhaps about a loved one. Also, through the generous donations of Unilever and Superdrug over the past six years we have been able to fund the expansion of our volunteer training and bring on a small staff team to enable the work of the organisation. Additionally, in March of this year, we launched a freephone number, funded through generous donations to Switchboard, making our service free to all and more accessible than ever before. We are grateful for the continued work and commitment of Unilever and Superdrug to Switchboard and the LGBTQIA+ community!”

Collectively, Superdrug Own-Brand, Unilever, Durex, Britney Spears, Trojan, Police and Canesten have committed to a total donation of £70,000, with MUA also donating 10 percent of profits from the exclusive Pride range being sold.

A range of Unilever’s brands products, including Vaseline, Lynx and Simple will be available in special rainbow edition packs and will be exclusive to Superdrug.

There are also several other brand’s donating profits from the sales of exclusive Pride products sold at Superdrug to LGBTQ+ supportive charities. This includes Sally Hansen’s new limited edition Insta-Dri Pride Collection with 100 percent of profits going to GLAAD and a special rainbow ‘Remove your make up not your Pride’ Garnier Micellar Water with 10p from every bottle, and a total donation of up to £50,000, going to Just Like Us.

Superdrug is also releasing its Pride edition Own Brand range for the second year running with a capsule collection of 6 wrapped own brand products, all of which will carry the Switchboard charity logo, phone number and information. The Own Brand range will see Superdrug make a full donation of £10,000.

It costs Switchboard around £450 to train and support each volunteer. Superdrug’s donation of £10,000 will enable Switchboard to train and support 22 new volunteers. Collectively, this could amount to over 1,700 calls, Instant messages and emails answered across a whole year.

Throughout the month of Pride, a handful of Superdrug stores including London, Brighton, Croydon and Manchester will also receive rainbow-coloured makeovers to celebrate, with local stores and staff also taking part in regional events.