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

Beyonce no makeup
Beyonce no makeup
(Image credit: Instagram)

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.

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.

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.

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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.