LOVE IS NATURAL: KIEHL'S RENEWS PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ALI FORNEY CENTER AND COLLABORATES WITH AVAF ON PRIDE CAMPAIGN

NEW YORK, June 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- This Pride Month, Kiehl's Since 1851 is celebrating the beauty, power, and individuality of the LGBTQIA+ community through its 2026 "Love is Natural" campaign – a vibrant expression of authenticity, self-discovery, and the freedom to exist fully as yourself.

Inspired by the belief that love in all forms is natural, the campaign honors identity not as something to be explained, but embraced. Through artistic expression and meaningful community impact, "Love is Natural" reflects Kiehl's decades-long commitment to uplifting LGBTQIA+ voices and creating spaces where people feel seen, supported, and celebrated.

At the heart of this year's campaign is a collaboration with internationally acclaimed artist collective assume vivid astro focus (avaf), whose immersive visual world captures the energy, fluidity, and joy of queer expression. Brought to life across Kiehl's stores and digital platforms, the artwork transforms the campaign into a living celebration of love, liberation, and belonging.

"'Love is Natural' emphasizes the right for every person to exist fully as themselves – love for others and for ourselves. In this campaign, we wanted to visualize this belief as an explosion of color, openness, and transformation, suggesting growth and liberation. The imagery grows outward organically, a celebratory living garden or ecosystem, blossoming into different identities and self-expressions. Altogether, the visual language was designed to feel alive, unrestricted, playful, emotional, and welcoming — all expressions of what 'Love is Natural' means to us," explains avaf. 

Beyond the campaign creative, "Love is Natural" also underscores the brand's continued commitment to supporting LGBTQIA+ youth through Kiehl's Open Doors – a year-round global initiative dedicated to providing safe housing and developmental resources for LGBTQIA+ youth experiencing homelessness.

As part of the mission, Kiehl's is proud to continue its partnership with the Ali Forney Center for the third consecutive year. The Ali Forney Center is the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting LGBTQIA+ youth from homelessness and equipping them with the support and resources needed to build independent futures. Its services include a 24/7 drop-in center, transitional housing, job readiness training, and access to healthcare and mental health resources.

"For 175 years, Kiehl's has been committed to supporting and uplifting the communities we serve," said John Reed, General Manager of Kiehl's Since 1851. "We are honored to continue our partnership with the Ali Forney Center for a third consecutive year to provide the meaningful on-the-ground support that ensures all LGBTQIA+ youth have the safety they need to live with love." 

In 2026, Kiehl's has committed to donating $150,000* to the Ali Forney Center. This contribution will help provide safe, temporary housing and life-saving developmental services for more than 2,200 LGBTQIA+ youth experiencing homelessness.

Kiehl's has supported the LGBTQIA+ community since the late 1980s through partnerships with HIV/AIDS organizations, philanthropic initiatives, and sponsorship of NYC Pride. Since 2015, these efforts have contributed more than $1.4 million to LGBTQIA+ causes globally.

Key statistics underscore the urgent need for the Ali Forney Center's mission and the importance of increasing awareness around these life-saving services:

• 40% of unhoused youth in the United States are LGBTQIA+.
• 80% of youth in the program are enrolled in mental health counseling and health services.
• 80% of youth graduate from the Ali Forney Center into independent living.
• Demand for the Ali Forney Center's services has increased by 30% in 2025.
• The Ali Forney Center provides over 70,000 meals every year.

"Kiehl's has been an extraordinary partner to the Ali Forney Center, standing with us not just in words, but in action," said Alex Roque, President and Executive Director of the Ali Forney Center. "At a time when LGBTQIA+ young people are facing increasing rejection and instability, partnerships like this are critical. Kiehl's understands that supporting our youth means investing in their dignity, their futures, and their right to be seen and celebrated. Together, we are not only meeting urgent needs, but we are also building a community rooted in care, visibility, and lasting impact."

To learn more about Kiehl's Open Doors, the Ali Forney Center, and the 2026 Pride campaign, visit Kiehls.com.

About the Ali Forney Center 

Founded in 2002, the Ali Forney Center (AFC) is the nation's largest organization dedicated to protecting homeless Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQIA+) youth in New York City (NYC). Our mission is to protect unhoused LGBTQIA+ youth from the harms of homelessness, and to empower them with the tools needed to be independent. AFC is NYC's first Drop-In Center for unhoused LGBTQIA+ youth, and in 2015 became the first around-the-clock LGBTQIA+ Drop-In Center in the country. In addition to our Drop-In, we operate 14 Emergency and Transitional housing sites across Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens to achieve our mission and provide LGBTQIA+ youth with a continuum of supportive services that allows them to move beyond survival and thrive. For 23 years, we have been a beacon of hope and care, committed to supporting unhoused LGBTQIA+ youth through comprehensive, identity-affirming housing and wrap-around services – including mental health care, sexual health care, harm reduction, crisis support, education/workforce development, and basic needs support. The largest provider of its kind, each year, we serve more than 2,200 LGBTQIA+ young people ages 16 to 24, and this number continues to grow.

About Kiehl's Since 1851 

Kiehl's Since 1851, a L'Oréal USA brand, was founded as an old-world apothecary in New York's East Village neighborhood over 165 years ago. The brand's unique and extensive background represents a blend of cosmetic, pharmaceutical, herbal, and medicinal knowledge developed and advanced through the generations. Over the years, longtime customer favorite formulations such as Ultra Facial Cream, Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado, Musk Oil, and new formulations such as Super Multi-Corrective Anti-Aging Eye Cream, Ultra Facial Overnight Rehydrating Mask, and Dermatologist Solutions have been created with uniquely efficacious, natural ingredients and the education and knowledge culled from generations of rigorous testing, research, and requests from customers.

About the Artist: assume vivid astro focus
Founded in 2001, the artist collective assume vivid astro focus (AVAF) has spent over two decades challenging conventional ideas of authorship through immersive multimedia environments. Working across a wide range of media, avaf creates vibrant total works of art in which the public becomes central to the experience.

Their practice champions radical inclusivity, using an abundance of shape and color to confront cultural codes around gender, class, identity, and public space. For avaf, color functions as a universal language and a healing tool. It serves as a unifying conduit of energy that brings people together.

AVAF's transformative projects have been presented at major global institutions, including MoMA, the Whitney Biennial, MoCA Los Angeles, the São Paulo Bienal, MASP, and the Bass Museum. Their cultural projects include Lady Gaga's Barneys New York storewide takeover and Manhattan-wide sculpture installation, with Gaga hosting the opening, as well as major public commissions for The High Line, Faena Art, and a landmark playground sculpture at the Museu Oscar Niemeyer in Brazil in 2026. See more from avaf here: https://www.instagram.com/assumevividastrofocus/

PR CONTACT:
Rachel Krasky
[email protected]

*Kiehl's Since 1851 supports Ali Forney Center in their mission to protect homeless Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning youth from the harms of homelessness and empower them with the tools needed to be independent with a financial contribution of $150,000.00 in 2026. Kiehl's financial support of the Ali Forney Center is not influenced by the purchase of any Kiehl's product and Ali Forney Center does not endorse any Kiehl's product. For more information please visit: https://www.aliforneycenter.org.

SOURCE Kiehl's Since 1851