FarmHouse Fresh Founder Shannon McLinden Named BeautyMatter Changemaker of the Year Finalist

Recognition spotlights McLinden's work to protect America's horses and advocate for passage of the SAFE Act

MCKINNEY, Texas, Sept. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- FarmHouse Fresh® Founder and CEO Shannon McLinden has been named a 2026 BeautyMatter Awards Changemaker of the Year finalist, recognizing her work to use the beauty industry as a force for animal welfare and advocacy.

The recognition comes as McLinden and FarmHouse Fresh have mobilized the brand's national community in support of the Save America's Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act (H.R. 1661/S. 775), bipartisan federal legislation that would permanently prohibit the slaughter of horses or donkeys for human consumption in the U.S. and their export for that purpose abroad. 

Through its ongoing SAFE Act advocacy, FarmHouse Fresh has mobilized more than 15,000 members of its community to contact their senators and congressional representatives, using its beauty platform to educate consumers about the horse slaughter pipeline and turn awareness into action.

"Beauty should not be silent when compassion is on the line. And wellness is not just what we put on our skin. It is what we choose to stand for," said McLinden. "Being named a Changemaker of the Year finalist is an honor, and it will be amplified by the real change we are working so hard to see: the SAFE Act bill passing, so horses and donkeys will be safe from kill buyers in America."

The SAFE Act has united industries toward a tipping point in 2026 - with the horse racing community, beauty, travel & hospitality, therapeutic, and animal welfare industries - all calling for a permanent federal ban.

While horse slaughter plants no longer operate in the U.S., American horses and donkeys are still purchased by kill buyers at auctions and sale barns. "No horse is safe," said McLinden. "Race horses, trail riders, even formerly federally protected wild horses are being purchased by kill buyers who outbid families, rescue groups and other organizations, and transport the horses to foreign slaughter plants, where a recent study shows 25% of horses suffer 2-10 ineffective blows to the head. It's unconscionable what is happening to America's equines, when they could have been rehomed or helped to pass by a veterinarian." 

Earlier this year, McLinden brought national attention to the issue through 50 States for Equines, a four-day advocacy campaign during which she lived and slept in a stall at the on-site sanctuary while livestreaming three times daily and calling on Americans across all 50 states to contact lawmakers in support of the SAFE Act.

The campaign is the latest extension of an animal-welfare mission deeply embedded in FarmHouse Fresh's business model. The Texas farm-to-spa skincare brand operates a 10-acre nonprofit animal sanctuary in McKinney, home to more than 60 rescued animals, and directs a portion of every product sale toward animal rescue and care.

The sanctuary's work extends from rescue and rehabilitation to education and FarmHouse Fresh's Foster-to-Heal™ program. In 2025, it earned verification from the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS), further recognizing the standards behind its animal care.

For McLinden, the BeautyMatter recognition provides another platform to push for change.

"This award nomination gives us a bigger microphone," McLinden said. "We're using it to say one thing clearly to our senators: Pass the SAFE Act for equines."

About FarmHouse Fresh
FarmHouse Fresh® is a leader in fresh-grown skincare, residing in McKinney, Texas. The company's farm-to-table treatments are served through thousands of spas, hotels and luxury resorts around the world from Dallas to Dubai, being named among the favorite spa brands in the U.S. for over a decade through American Spa Magazine's Professionals Choice Awards. The company focuses on growing fresh organic botanical extracts through sustainable hydroponic farming of microgreens. FarmHouse Fresh® is a favorite among celebrity makeup artists who use their products on clients like Hilary Swank and Reba McEntire.

Philanthropy is at the core of the company's sustainability promise, with the ranch headquarters doubling as a nonprofit farm animal sanctuary. The company received the 2024 Heroes Award from the Texas Humane Legislation Network for their contribution to animal welfare in the state. Every skincare purchase made helps animals in need – customers can track the product batch code on their jar to learn the stories of the animals directly impacted. FarmHouse Fresh® products can be purchased across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. Visit the website at www.farmhousefreshgoods.com.

SOURCE FarmHouse Fresh