Meet the Founder Championing Accessible Beauty

While studying a Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Newcastle, Storm discovered how education can be a powerful catalyst for change. Through rural and regional placements, she gained firsthand insight into the complex ways geography, ability, and identity shape access and opportunity.

Storm began her career as a Dietitian with Hunter New England Health, but her passion for helping others soon led her into support work. Over the next decade, she gained a front-row seat to many of the daily challenges faced by people with disabilities. That understanding became deeply personal when she injured her dominant hand, and suddenly, everyday tasks became nearly impossible.

The moment that sparked real change came when she struggled to open her mascara. Frustrated, Storm reached out to a friend living with a disability to ask how she managed her makeup routine. The response was heartbreaking: "Makeup isn’t made for people like me."

Storm turned to the internet, hoping to find accessible beauty solutions, only to discover a single supplier - that didn’t even ship to Australia. For Storm, the issue went far beyond mascara wands and packaging design. It was about representation and equality.

Determined to create this change, Storm founded BYSTORM Beauty - a brand committed to making beauty more inclusive and accessible for all. She began by conducting surveys, focus groups, and interviews to better understand what people with disabilities needed: what worked, what didn’t, and what was missing entirely.

Storm dove headfirst into entrepreneurship through The University of Newcastle’s I2N Pre-Accelerator and Accelerator Programs, where she found herself surrounded by a dynamic community of like-minded innovators; people driven by big ideas and a shared passion for solving real-world problems.

Starting a product-based business while still working full-time is hard. It’s lonely, it’s exhausting, and there are so many moments of doubt. I2N reminded me I wasn’t doing this alone—and gave me the confidence to believe that what I was building could actually work.

At Demo Night, her concept for BYSTORM was awarded “Most Investible”; a defining moment that gave her the confidence to keep going.  Her next challenge was to develop a prototype, which led her into the world of product design. With no formal background in design, Storm taught herself 3D modelling, first experimenting with clay before upgrading to a 3D printer and transforming her living room into a makeshift lab.

Disability isn’t a one-size-fits-all experience. So, from the start, we’ve leaned into universal design principles, aiming to create products that work for as many people as possible. But I’ll be real—there’s always this fear in the back of my mind of - what if I get it wrong?

Storm believes the beauty industry has ignored accessibility for far too long, not because the solutions don’t exist, but because those with lived experiences of disability have been absent from the rooms where decisions are made. But she remains hopeful for a future where everyone feels seen and valued, and where accessibility is no longer an afterthought, but the norm.

For me, true inclusion isn’t about creating a separate category for disabled beauty. It’s about weaving access, representation, and dignity into the entire fabric of the industry. It's about designing with, not for... where disabled creators are brand founders, consultants, campaign faces, and decision-makers, not just featured in ‘diversity month’.  I want a beauty industry where a disabled customer walking into a store isn’t seen as unusual. Where the tools they use aren’t tucked away but proudly displayed, because good design should work for everyone.