Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Autumn Winter 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    1. Health and Fitness

    The No Makeup Selfie Cancer Campaign Has Raised More Than £2 Million

    Women have flooded Twitter with their makeup-free selfies - and their generous donations to cancer research

    By Ali Gray
    Published 21 March 2014 In Features

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Beyonce no makeup
    Beyonce no makeup
    (Image credit: Instagram)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Women have flooded Twitter with their makeup-free selfies - and their generous donations to cancer research

    Who would have thought something as simple as a no makeup selfie could cause such a sensation?

    Celebrities such as Beyoncé, Jessica Alba and Rihanna have made a habit of posting makeup-free selfies over the past few years. And while we always loved marvelling at their impossible natural beauty, it was never a full-blown movement. Until now.

    Since Cancer Research UK started its No Makeup Selfie campaign on Tuesday, the idea has gone viral. Loads of women across the country have shared their fresh-faced pictures, including several celebrities such as Amy Willerton, VV Brown and Kym Marsh.

    No Makeup Seflie Campaign

    No Makeup Seflie Campaign
    (Image credit: Twitter)

    Richard Branson also got involved, sharing a snap of a makeup-free Virgin Atlantic flight crew.

    You may like
    • model wearing Lounge robe Lounge’s Feel Your Breast Campaign Is Back To Support Breast Cancer Awareness—and Open Up Crucial Conversations Around Women’s Health
    • No mascara trend, bare lashes I've Been a Mascara Addict for Two Decades—Apparently That's No Longer "Cool"
    • Tanmaxxing trend ‘Tanmaxxing’ is Proof That Gen Z is Getting Burnt By Viral Beauty Trends

    No Makeup Seflie Campaign

    No Makeup Seflie Campaign
    (Image credit: Twitter)

    But of course, the campaign isn't just about posting the picture. It's also about donating money.

    The campaign received some initial backlash, with critics claiming it was an effort in vanity and that selfies (makeup or not) have nothing to do with cancer awareness.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    But money talks. And we'd say the fact that more than £2 million has been raised for Cancer Research UK is enough to silence those critics.

    'Thank you for helping to raise over £2m with your #nomakeupselfie pics to help #beatcancersooner,' Cancer Research UK tweeted on Friday afternoon.

    To get involved, post your own #nomakeupselfie -- and don't forget to donate.

    Got a tablet? You can now download Marie Claire magazine straight to your iPad for the new price of £2.99, Kindle (just search the store for 'marie claire magazine'), Nook or Google Nexus.

    Ali Gray
    Social Links Navigation
    Ali Gray is an award-winning content director and digital strategist. Most recently she was the Director of Branded Content at Hearst, and helped to bridge the gap between the editorial and commercial worlds working across all Hearst brands, including ELLE, Cosmopolitan, Esquire and Harper's Bazaar. Prior to that she worked as an editor contributing to several brands such as The Telegraph, iVillage UK. 
    Read more
    model wearing Lounge robe
    Fashion Lounge’s Feel Your Breast Campaign Is Back To Support Breast Cancer Awareness—and Open Up Crucial Conversations Around Women’s Health
    No mascara trend, bare lashes
    Make Up I've Been a Mascara Addict for Two Decades—Apparently That's No Longer "Cool"
     
     
    Tanmaxxing trend
    Skincare ‘Tanmaxxing’ is Proof That Gen Z is Getting Burnt By Viral Beauty Trends
    Celebrity twin makeup
    Beauty I Discovered the Perfect, Expert-Devised Makeup Routine–Thanks to My "Celebrity Lookalike"
     
     
    Latest in Health and Fitness
    A woman doing yoga, stretching, and helping her partner to stretch
    Wellbeing I Stopped Doing These 7 Things to Feel Less Stressed—and the Difference Was Almost Immediate
    Health freelancer Ellie-Mae Hammond trying the new WHOOP Meridian
    Fitness I’m a First-Time WHOOP User—Here’s My Honest Review of Its New Jewellery-Inspired Band
     
     
    Zara Larsson
    Fitness Zara Larsson’s Body-Image Philosophy Feels Refreshingly Different in the Age of Self-Optimisation
    Health writer Ellie-Mae Hammond during her mobility classes
    Fitness I'm Fit, So Was Shocked to Learn My Mobility Was Putting Me at Injury Risk. How I Fixed It in 6 Weeks
     
     
    Latest in Features
    New Beauty Products
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: Nobel Prize-Winning Skincare, a Very Chic Body Brush and the Future of LED Therapy
    What to ask for at the hair salon
    Hair Here's What to Ask For at the Hair Salon to Get What You Actually Want
     
     
    NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 10: Anne Hathaway attends Moncler Fifth Avenue Flagship Opening at 767 Fifth Avenue on September 10, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by The Hapa Blonde/GC Images)
    Life The “Hot Pregnancy” Era Is Supposedly Empowering. It Just Made Me Feel Worse...
    woman wearing shift dress navy top
    Shopping I Just Got Back From Milan—This Retro-Inspired Dress Is What Italian Women Wear to Look Polished
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.