Giving Back
Beauty that Heals
By Lisa Loverro
When Renata Helfman-Baron founded Lipstick Angels in 2012, it was born from love. While caring for her grandmother during cancer treatment, she saw how dehumanizing hospital life could feel, and how even the smallest gestures—a swipe of lipstick, a touch of hand cream—restored dignity and lifted her grandmother’s spirits. She realized there was nothing in place to offer patients that kind of personal attention or dignity. So, she set out to create a program that could bring comfort, beauty, and a sense of self back to people in the middle of treatment.
More than a decade later, Lipstick Angels has become a trusted partner to hospitals nationwide, offering oncology-trained beauty and wellness services that bring comfort and choice back into patients’ lives. Whether it’s a gentle facial, aromatherapy, or a brow tutorial, the treatments are less about appearance and more about empowerment. “It’s not vanity,” Helfman-Baron says. “It’s holding on to who you are.”
As founder and CEO, she has expanded Lipstick Angels with intention—building rigorous training programs in oncology esthetics, clean-beauty protocols, and compassionate bedside care. Each new partnership is carefully designed to preserve intimacy and trust. To date, they have served more than 50,000 individuals and anticipate serving close to 100,000 by 2026.
Now, with virtual wellness sessions and curated clean beauty kits, she is pushing the mission beyond hospital walls. Her vision is bold yet simple: a future where beauty and wellness are considered part of healthcare itself.
To donate or learn more, please visit lipstickangels.org.
