philosophy partners with Natasha Bedingfield to release an original song in support of mental health and wellbeing

20% of the iTunes sale of the song will benefit the hope and grace initiative

a live performance on January 20th in New York City will honor one mental health organization with a $20,000 grant

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Dec 17, 2014, 09:30 ET

NEW YORK, Dec. 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- philosophy, the women's wellbeing beauty brand, is collaborating with Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Natasha Bedingfield on an exclusive, original song to spread hope to women everywhere. The song, "hope," penned by Natasha and a new writing and production team made up of Matt Robinson, David Saw and Ryan Freeman, was written to draw attention to the mental health needs of women and further the message of the hope and grace initiative—an unending commitment by philosophy to support community-based mental health organizations. Releasing simultaneously with the product launch of renewed hope in a jar, "hope" will be available for download on iTunes on January 13^th with 20% of the net proceeds from iTunes sales benefitting the hope and grace initiative until 2016.

By encouraging and promoting the idea of hope when faced with any adversity, this original song clearly captures the spirit of philosophy. For over 18 years, philosophy has been devoted to bringing women products that inspire them to live better lives. Most recently, in July 2014, philosophy launched the hope and grace initiative, the cornerstone of the brand's philanthropic mission wherein 1% of philosophy product sales across all retailers support community-based organizations working to empower women through the promotion of mental health and wellbeing, and the prevention and treatment of related issues.

"At philosophy, we believe that it is important to nurture the skin as well as the soul, and music offers a powerful way to lift spirits and spread a message," says Jill Scalamandre, Senior Vice President, philosophy and Chief Marketing Officer, skin care for Coty. "The philosophy of renewed hope in a jar is 'live with optimism, renew with hope,' a sentiment that not only ties perfectly to this beautiful song, but also to the hope and grace initiative's mission of helping lift the stigma that surrounds mental health."

"philosophy understands the power of words, and as a songwriter this resonates deeply with me," says Natasha. "I was thrilled to collaborate with philosophy on the song and to help raise awareness about mental health, particularly among women. This song is about how powerful hope is and that we all need to be reminded sometimes of how even the darkest nights become bright mornings, and hope can carry us through any hardship."

To celebrate the release of "hope," which is named for its reimagined iconic product, renewed hope in a jar, philosophy will host a special event where Natasha will perform "hope" live for the first time. The performance will be simulcast via Livestream as part of a larger digital media campaign that will further promote the renewed hope in a jar product and the hope and grace initiative.

Changing the landscape of philanthropic efforts in the beauty industry, the hope and grace initiative established the hope and grace fund as a project of the New Venture Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to supporting innovative and effective public interest projects. With guidance from an advisory board made up of committed and notable leaders in the mental health arena, philosophy will annually award multiple grants with an average amount of $25,000 through the hope and grace fund to support hundreds of qualified organizations around the world.

In its first year, the fund plans to target organizations that work with women in the United States who are currently underserved by mental health services by providing grants to community-based mental health organizations. These unsung heroes of the mental health field include those organizations that are working to overcome the barriers and stigma associated with seeking treatment for mental health issues, providing access to mental health treatment, and fostering support networks for women with mental illness.

Join the movement here: hopeandgracefund.com.

About philosophy
philosophy is the wellbeing beauty brand offering efficacious skin care, bath and body products, and fragrances to help women look, live and feel their best. we want to inspire beautiful skin as well as beautiful days by wrapping scientifically proven ingredients with insight and inspiration.
founded in 1996, philosophy is part of the coty inc. portfolio with headquarters in new york. learn more at philosophy.com; follow us on twitter/instagram @lovephilosophy; facebook.com/philosophy

About Natasha Bedingfield
With a number 1 single in America, a number 1 UK debut album, and over 6.5 million units shifted worldwide, Natasha Bedingfield is the UK's biggest female pop star. Natasha took the US by storm in 2006 with the first British chart-topping hit by a female in almost twenty years. Vanity Fair singled her out as the spearhead of a new Britpop invasion and her song "Unwritten" proved to be the most played song on mainstream American radio. Ever since her Grammy-nominated multi-platinum solo debut in 2004, British-born Natasha Bedingfield has been an inspiring and influential force in pop music. With three albums under her belt and a diverse set of collaborations with artists such as Brandy, Rascal Flatts, Nicki Minaj, Sean Kingston, Bruno Mars, Lifehouse and Lang Lang, her artistic breadth is evident.

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SOURCE philosophy