Diane Guerrero Joins Love Beauty and Planet to Champion Sustainability and Empower Latinas
Story written by Marivette
Diane Guerrero with Love Beauty and Planet’s Rose Water and Niacinamide Body Wash/ Image by Lelund Durond Thompson
“When you're talking about human rights, when you're talking about making communities better, if you miss talking about the environment, I think we are at a loss.”
Fresh off a celebratory night performing on the Oscars stage, Diane Guerrero is back at it, advocating for the Latinx community—this time with support from the global vegan personal care brand Love Beauty and Planet.
Guerrero has long been a champion for mujeres, separated families at the U.S. border, immigration reform, and issues affecting the Latinx community overall. In her most recent work, the Colombian-American actress and singer advocates for incorporating sustainability into our everyday lives. Love Beauty and Planet dedicates itself to providing sustainable and high-performing, ethically sourced natural ingredients and reducing waste by using recycled materials in their packaging. Their latest launch, which features a new plant-based, 100% biodegradable collection, is a testament to their cause. So, when it came time for Guerrero to align herself with a partner rooted in practicing sustainability efforts and giving back to communities, Love Beauty and Planet just made sense.
In honor of Earth Month, through the #SmallActsOfLove campaign, both are using their platforms to celebrate Latinas with initiatives focused on healthy communities and loving the planet. They have announced a special $50,000 donation to a Latina-founded and led organization creating cleaner and greener communities for a more sustainable future.
We spoke to Diane Guerrero to learn more about her joint effort with Love Beauty and Planet and how her cultura has inspired her sustainable lifestyle. Plus, we had to talk about Bruno and Encanto's Oscar win for Best Animated Film!
Below is a transcription of the interview. Minor edits have been made for brevity and clarity.
(TM) Marivette for The Mujerista
(DG) Diane Guerrero
The Mujerista (TM): First, I want to congratulate you on Encanto winning the Oscar for Best Animated Film! How has it felt, and how has your family reacted to it all?
Diane Guerrero (DG): Oh my gosh. I'm just like, it's such a dream come true for me...No, it really is a testament [to] how my parents raised me, how I chose to move forward in the face of any challenge and adversity. Music and storytelling, for me, [have] always been an outlet, [have] always been my safe space and my safe haven. I have been manifesting, really, this opportunity for so long. "I want to do animation. I want to do a Disney movie. I don't want to do just any Disney movie. I want to do a film that is powerful, that really speaks to who we are.” It's not fluff. [Encanto's] beautiful and it won the Oscar on Sunday because of that – because it means a lot to a lot of people, a lot of children all over the world. It's been translated into so many languages. No matter where you're from, whether you're Latino or not, you can understand the importance of family and the importance of getting through your trauma. The boogeyman isn't just some random person. It could be this thing that is living inside of your head. You know?
TM: Thank you so much. Yes, I must say that, as a Latina, I completely related to the story and the generational trauma that's being discussed. My family loves the film, too. Thank you for being a part of something so amazing for our community!
DG: Thank you!
TM: So, let’s talk about your partnership with Love Beauty and Planet. A lot of your work has been rooted in activism recently and championing women. Together with Love Beauty and Planet, you announced a special donation of $50,000 to give back to the community specifically Latinas who are working hard to make their communities greener. Can you share how this partnership came about and why you both felt it was necessary to recognize these spaces and women advocating for sustainability?
DG: I mean, if we're not advocating for sustainability, then what are we doing. When you're talking about human rights, when you're talking about making communities better, if you miss talking about the environment, I think we are at a loss. Because we need to be in a place where our bodies are healthy, where any products we are consuming are healthy for our bodies, for the environment, because where we live is going to really determine our success or how we're moving forward in so many ways.
For me, I am doing this work. I want to be a part of things that are healthy for my community. I want anything that I'm a part of to align with my values and that are ultimately going to make my life better and other people's lives better. I do want to do ads, and I want to do campaigns, and I want to do things like that, but I need to do it with people who really understand that we can't just be doing something without intention. That’s why I love Love Beauty and Planet because they're so intentional with what they're doing.
Also, I love the product. It's an incredible "scent-sorial" experience for me. I like the shower because it gives me the opportunity to sort of just start a new or wash away any of my troubles. For me, it's important to create spaces within my home. I talk about it in my book, and I talk about it throughout my entire life, finding a home, wanting to feel stable, wanting to feel like I belong somewhere. And as I've learned to take care of myself more and more through these small acts of love, which is part of the campaign of Love Beauty and Planet, I've learned to create little spaces for myself which are going to be my own. Home is really where you are and what you make it, and that's what I've learned throughout my entire experience as like whatever you want to call it, advocate for the Latino community, advocate for myself, advocate for families being separated but working with this brand has been really great because it really opened my eyes like, Wait a minute. I can make little sanctuaries, little safe spaces for myself, and the shower is definitely one of them.
I love that they're an all-natural product. I love the sustainability component to it because that's exactly how I want to live my life, and I want, really, to encourage others to live theirs.
TM: Can you tell us about the Latina organization that you and Love Beauty and Planet are honoring with a special donation of $50,000?
DG: Mujeres De La Tierra, I love the work that they are doing. It reminds me of everything that I want to talk about: making sure that people in our communities have access to open spaces, making sure that people are coming into positions of leadership, and understanding the intersection between health and your environment...They do so much work around community engagement and educational programs. For example, they have a program, which is called "Vamos a la Playa," which is to introduce people to open spaces and marine life.
$50,000 is one organization. We need more people to think about these generous donations to more organizations that do really great work for our communities.
TM: The Latinx community has always, whether inadvertently or intentionally, practiced sustainability, whether it's by repurposing the tubs of butter containers passing down clothing or toys to our primes and primos…Can you recall any practices your family or your culture, maybe even specific to Colombia, of sustainability? Are there any in particular that have stayed with you today that you continue to practice?
DG: Like washing my underwear in the shower - no, just kidding. I mean recycling and certainly when we used anything in the kitchen that was going to serve you for something else. You never just threw it out. I mean, I'm always constantly finding little coquitas and stuff that I can use. Oh, this is going to be for when I shower, or this is going to be for where I put my jewelry in. I don't easily throw things away. I'm not a hoarder either, but I don't like waste, and that's how my parents raised me—even saving all the little soaps and putting them together in a ball. I mean, I don't practice that now, but we did all that. Or using the toothpaste to the very, very, very last drop. So, that meant always buying a little contraption that you would put the toothpaste in, and then we would use the last drop. Honey, I would be sucking the thing out and be like, "Okay, I need a new tube," and mom would be like, "There's still more in there."
I appreciate that you mention that because I feel like our community does practices sustainability, but we don't get that kind of recognition, and we don't get programs or ads or just products that are geared towards that for us. And I think that's important. A lot more of us are vegan than you think! Like the lights? We don't leave lights on! No, we are not going to waste energy…
TM: The a/c is not allowed to run all day…
DG: No, you use the fan, or you fan yourself...mentira. Pero, you know what I'm saying! We have practiced that for a very long time. I think it's time for companies and for people to recognize that we're in this space, we're in the green space, and we need to encourage more Latinas, more people from the Latinx community to be involved in creating these kinds of companies because were not unfamiliar to them.
TM: This is a beautiful cause and it is exciting to see you and Love Beauty and Planet celebrate these wonderful mujeres and champion sustainability – which they do as well in their brand. They recently launched their new plant-based, 100% biodegradable collection, featuring powerful skincare ingredients. Which are some of your favorite products from the collection?
DG: Okay, it goes like this: Rose [Water & Niacinamide]. The niacinamide is great for my skin! I've been so soft. You know what’s funny? I was beginning to think that products out there were never going to make my skin soft. I really just started not believing in it. I would do all these things. My mom would be like, "Pongase limón en your codos." Those little things...I was using sugar as an exfoliate or coffee as an exfoliate. None of these body washes out there were helping me at all. So, now to have this product has been so great because it really has made me believe, Oh, my skin can be soft. The niacinamide and rose water is not lying to me. Natural products can do that for your skin, and I'm like obviously thinking about the masks my mother would make me for acne, the scrubs that my aunt...Those remedios de casa...
So, it goes Rose [Water & Niacinamide], Coconut [Water & Vitamin C], Kiwi [& Peptides], Acai [Berry & Retinoid]...I use acai when I'm feeling, como que, I need a real spark because the scent is so strong and just so colorful. It's just like candy. I have to be feeling some sort of way, but it does give me that energy boost that I need. I love that they're so affordable. I love that they're in Target. I love that they're accessible for folks, and I really just want more people to be aware of the product because they're just so freaking good.