Making the
beauty industry safer for mental health.

Beauty marketing shapes how we see ourselves. Images, language, and selling tactics can raise pressure and narrow what feels “acceptable” to look like, often without us noticing.

For Organisations

For the Public

(about us)

Index:MH™ is an independent, non-profit certification body.

We set measurable standards for how the beauty industry affects consumer mental health through its advertising, social media, and wider practices.

When appearance is treated as the measure of worth, the impact is predictable. Beauty marketing and social media normalise constant comparison and unrealistic standards.

That pressure shows up in anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), and the industry is rarely measured against it.

(why we exist)

The beauty industry shapes how millions of people feel about themselves every day.

73%

of women say advertising sets unrealistic beauty standards.

(Little Black Book, 2022)

80%

of people worldwide say body image negatively affects their mental health.

(Medical News Today, 2023)

1 in 2

girls say toxic beauty advice on social media damages their self-esteem.

(Dove, 2023)

9 in 10

girls follow at least one account that makes them feel less beautiful.

(Dove, 2023)

40%

of teenagers say social media makes them worry about their body image.

(Mental Health Foundation, 2019)

25%

of U.S. Gen Z consumers feel excluded by beauty ads.

(Mintel, 2023)

Read more on our blog

How Bridget Jones’s Diary Turned Weight into a Punchline

Bridget Jones’s Diary, released in 2001, follows a single woman navigating work, dating, and self-improvement. From the opening scenes, the film repeatedly flags Bridget’s body, measuring and commenting on her weight in ways that go beyond incidental detail. Her size becomes part of how the character is defined.

Mirrors in Shops: The Built-In Trigger for Self-Scrutiny

Mirrors are not neutral. They are not just tools to check fit. In a shop, a mirror is an instruction. It tells us when to look at ourselves, how to look, and what parts of ourselves matter in that moment. Outside of retail, most of us do not spend long stretches staring at our bodies from multiple angles under artificial lighting. In shops, that behaviour is built into the experience. Mirrors pull attention inward. They shift focus from the clothes to the body wearing the clothes.

Why “Normal” Now Looks Like One Body Type

Turning a body type into a brand’s signature is standard beauty marketing, but advertising only one shape plays on our insecurities and tells us there is one look that counts as normal. When we only see one physique in shops and ads, our brains quietly turn it into the standard we compare ourselves to. Fit, slim, curvy is too often portrayed as the perfect measure when multiple body types exist. Showing one body type is not the problem.

Why Fitting Rooms Affect Your Mental Health: The Psychology Behind It

Ever stepped into a fitting room and felt your confidence drop instantly? That reaction isn’t personal. It is a well documented response shared more widely than most realise.

Millions of shoppers experience insecurity, frustration and disappointment in fitting rooms, and most assume it is an individual problem. In reality, it is the environment itself, intentionally designed to trigger predictable psychological responses.

F These Brands: Rini

Skincare is now being sold to children as young as three. Let that sink in.

Actress Shay Mitchell, best known for Pretty Little Liars, recently launched Rini, a skincare line for kids. The campaign shows toddlers in sheet masks at birthday parties, sleepovers, and play dates. The products are framed as a part of developing “healthy habits”. But the brand, which claims to be gentle, fun and safe, follows a familiar industry playbook: manufacture insecurity then monetise it.

The Ultra-Thin Ideal: The Claws of The Machine

Feeling good in your skin isn’t the same as promoting a severely underweight frame and calling it a “healthy, toned physique.” In recent campaigns, Zara, Next, and M&S crossed that line. The 2025 M&S ad emphasised the model’s pointed shoes to draw attention to her thin legs, while Zara showcased a drawn, hollow face — a look that pushes unhealthy thinness as a criterion for style.

SKKN by Kim K: How to Turn Body Shame Into a Billion-Dollar Brand

When SKKN by Kim launched in June 2022, it was pitched as the future of skincare: “science-backed,” “minimal,” “refillable.” Everything about it whispered calm sophistication. But beneath the branding sits a clear strategy — take the same extreme ideals that made the Kardashian image a global commodity and repackage them as wellness.
[SKKN is] a brand that had every resource, every platform, and every opportunity to lead differently, yet chose not to.

SECTORS

Any organisation that shapes our body image should be held to a clear standard for its impact on our mental health. Certification makes that standard visible. The Index:MH mark shows which businesses meet it, so trust is earned and the bar is clear.

Aesthetic Medicine

Consultation open

Fashion

Launching in 2026

Makeup & Cosmetics

Launching in 2026

Influencers & Content Creators

Launching in 2026

(how we're governed)

We don’t work in a vacuum.

Our standards are shaped with input from advisory boards that bring expertise in body image, mental health, and other relevant fields. Each sector we cover has its own board to guide the detail, and a general advisory board oversees the bigger picture to make sure we stay true to our purpose.

Meet the Team & Advisory Boards