What 1,147 Occupational Therapists Told Us About Makeup and Grip

Makeup is part of getting ready, and getting ready is part of daily life. But when your hands shake, ache or won't curl, a mascara tube can feel like a test.

We wanted to know what the people who assess hands for a living see. So we asked.

How did we run the survey?

Between December 2025 and July 2026, ByStorm surveyed 1,706 occupational therapists (OTs), OT students and allied health colleagues about makeup and disability. Everything below uses the 1,147 qualified occupational therapists only, so the numbers describe practising OTs.

Most of them work in the USA (64%), Australia (26%) or the UK (6%). More than 98% are women, 94% are aged 18 to 34, and 52% have been practising for two years or less. These are OTs who chose to take part, not a random sample of every OT, so read the figures as a strong signal rather than a census.

Is makeup part of daily living?

Most OTs say yes. 40% call makeup an activity of daily living (ADL) and another 28% call it a meaningful daily activity. 31% say it depends on the client. Only 4 of the 1,147 said no.

Do clients struggle with makeup?

61% of OTs say clients have reported or experienced difficulty using makeup products. 80% see a therapeutic benefit in using makeup as part of therapy, and another 18% say possibly.

What gets in the way?

We asked which barriers OTs see in their clients. The top five:

• Difficulty gripping makeup items (78%)
• Fine motor weakness (75%)
• Difficulty opening lids or caps (72%)
• Weak hand strength (66%)
• Difficulty with precision tasks such as mascara and eyeliner (63%)

Joint pain or stiffness (56%) and tremors (54%) were close behind.

What is wrong with everyday makeup?

OTs named the design features that make makeup hard to use:

• Small lids or caps (94%)
• Unstable grip surfaces (72%)
• Narrow cylinder shapes (68%)
• High torque needed to open (67%)
• Slippery surfaces (67%)
• Short wands or handles (61%)

What do OTs want instead?

• Universal attachments that fit multiple products (88%)
• Tools that can be used with one hand (88%)
• Textured or non-slip surfaces (87%)
• A larger grip surface (83%)
• Shapes that reduce wrist strain (82%)
• Shapes that support tremor control (80%)

Who could benefit most?

OTs picked the client groups they think would gain most from accessible makeup tools: stroke (94%), arthritis (90%), upper limb weakness (88%), people with only one functional hand (87%) and tremors (86%).

So what are OTs using today?

Not much. Only 26% of OTs have ever used or created an adaptive method for makeup. Yet 94% say adaptive makeup tools should be part of OT practice where relevant. That is the gap: belief is almost universal, and the tools to reach for are not.

What does this mean?

If you are an OT: makeup is part of getting ready, and getting ready is part of independence. It is worth asking.

If you live with limited hand function: when packaging is hard to use, that is a design problem, not a you problem.

Betty and Margie answer several items on the list above. They slide onto the makeup you already own, rest in your palm or between your fingers, and are made from non-slip silicone. They fit most products between 15 and 25 mm across, such as mascara, lipstick, gloss, brow gel and concealer. Meet Betty and Margie, or read whether the NDIS may cover them.

Quick answers

How many OTs did ByStorm survey?
ByStorm surveyed 1,706 occupational therapists, OT students and allied health colleagues between December 2025 and July 2026. The results above are for the 1,147 qualified occupational therapists.

What do occupational therapists say is wrong with everyday makeup?
The most common design problems named were small lids or caps (94%), unstable grip surfaces (72%), narrow cylinder shapes (68%), high torque needed to open (67%) and slippery surfaces (67%).

Do OTs think adaptive makeup tools belong in practice?
94% of the OTs surveyed said adaptive makeup tools should be part of OT practice where relevant, but only 26% have ever used or created an adaptive method for makeup.

Source: ByStorm Accessible Beauty Clinician Survey, December 2025 to July 2026. 1,706 responses, of which 1,147 are qualified occupational therapists. Percentages are rounded.