50 Shades of Beauty
EXPLORING THE FUTURE OF PEOPLE OF COLOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY
Make·up
Defined by Merrian-Webster Dictionary as "cosmetics (such as lipstick, mascara, and eye shadow) used to color and beautify the face."
Makeup is used all over the world by women and men of every age and race. That is why throughout this piece although I only interview African American females, I want to express that all People of Color face issues when it comes to feeling included in the beauty community.
Why does it matter if people of color aren't included in the beauty community?
It matters because people of color deserve to be able to buy cosmetic products from any brand. People of color should not be an afterthought in marketing and product development. They are consumers and smart ones. According to a Nielson study released in 2018, African American consumers have $1.2 Trillion dollar spending power. In cosmetics alone, they spent $54.4 million dollars, which was 85.65% of the total amount spent on these types of products.
Why don't they just not wear makeup?
Makeup is not a necessity, it made headlines in 2016 when singer Alicia Keys said she would no longer wear makeup. According to an article on Bustle, "most women just love the expressive nature and self-care qualities of makeup on their own terms."
What alternatives are there for people of color?
From the research, I have done the trend seems that people of color are creating their own brands. From all the brands that I looked at and studied, they mentioned a lack of products that suited them. It is more than just foundation and complexion productions. Eyeshadows, face powders, and lipsticks can all be unflattering on dark skin if not pigmented enough.
History of Cosmetics for People of Color
The common theme among people of color creating product lines is that they are filling a void in the beauty community that has seemingly left them out. The battle for people of color to be represented in the beauty industry is far from over, but it has made a lot of progress from its beginnings. One of the first people to tap into the market of cosmetics for people of color was Anthony Overton in 1898. Since then many brands for the African American beauty market have formed. Some of them are still around in 2020 and creating products, but since the desegregation of stores and makeup counters during the civil rights era, it has been harder for brands to keep up with the expanding market. Especially without funding from larger companies or corporations.
"Fashion Fare was actually one of the first cosmetic brands I wore when I was actually in High School... I personally saw the fade when M.A.C Cosmetics became to get really popular and, a lot of people [weren't] really buying into Fashion Fare anymore because of the higher quality of certain products that other companies were selling.” Said Dr. LaPorchia Davis, a Morgan State University Professor, who wrote her dissertation on how African American mothers and their relationship with their daughters can influence their consumption of appearance-related products.
Modern Day Moguls
A few women of color paving the way for people of color entrepreneurs.
Black women alone are creating businesses faster than any other group of people according to CNBC. Pearson and King are examples of the younger generation of entrepreneurs, while they cite individuals like Rihanna, Pat McGrath, and Melissa Butler as pioneers for the modern wave of entrepreneurs.
Rihanna, known for being a signer signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, hasn't sold an album since 2016. In 2019, Forbes listed her as the wealthiest female musician, the majority of those sales came from her cosmetics line, Fenty Beauty, that she co-owns with luxury goods company LVHM.
McGrath is a British make-up artist and cosmetics line owner. McGrath gained her fame working as a make-up artist for many luxury brands, like Versace and Louis Vuitton. She even helped create products for brands like Gorgio Armani and Cover Girl Cosmetics. After an outcry of support on social media, McGrath created her cosmetic line, where she made sure there was a shade to suit every skin tone was key.
Lastly, Butler creator of The Lip Bar, is known for her 2015 appearance on Shark Tank where businessman Kevin O'Leary said Butler and her business partner would be "[crushed] like the colorful cockroaches you are." Butler continued with her company and as of 2018 is sold in Targets across the United States.
“Fenty Beauty by Rihanna was created for everyone: for women of all shades, personalities, attitudes, cultures, and races. I wanted everyone to feel included. That’s the real reason I made this line.”
Rihanna
"For Pat McGrath Labs, she explains: 'I was working all the time with pigments to make sure they work on all skin tones, particularly to make sure dark skin doesn’t become ashy, pigments that are so rich they work on everybody. Because a lot of the time when you buy a normal shadow, it doesn’t always work on every skin tone – it’s chalky or too light – so that’s my main aim, to bring makeup for all skin tones to the fore.' ” - Sali Hughes
Pat McGrath
"Frustrated with the lack of diversity and excessive chemicals used in mainstream beauty products, Butler decided to create vegan, cruelty-free lipsticks that would disrupt modern-day beauty standards."
- Ashley McDonough
Melisa Butler
A New Generation of Entrepreneurs
In the two years that Dejah King has been on Morgan States Campus, she noticed that the one thing was missing: a beauty supply store. A one-stop-shop where students can purchase products like bonnets, lip-gloss’, and hairpins. Nineteen-year-old Dejah King is a sophomore Business Administration major at Morgan State University. Nineteen-year-old King founded Divine Beauty Lux in January 2020. She saw a need for a beauty supply store on MSU's campus and created her own. If you don't have a car getting to the nearest beauty supply store can be difficult for students on campus.
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A few months before another sophomore and young entrepreneur, D'Aisha Pearson, saw the need for a natural skincare line that will suit people with sensitive skin like herself. She launched Sincerely Syncerra Cosmetics, selling products like lip glosses’ and facial scrubs. These two women are connected by a network of young entrepreneurs at MSU called Love Yours. The Love Yours co-founder, Aden Coleman, wanted to create a space giving young entrepreneurs in the beauty community to network and promote their companies to the Morgan community.
Pearson used the Love Yours platform to help grow her client base across Morgan’s campus. She started off with just word of mouth promotion from friends but was offered the opportunity to be apart of vender events on campus. From the group, she’s learned how to stand out from other young entrepreneurs and boost her social media presence. "Even though we don't really want to, we're all competing. It's natural. You kinda just have to learn how to make yourself stand out from other people."
D’Aisha prides herself on being a natural cosmetic line, she creates all her own products at home. She then sells them through her website, to other students on MSUs campus but when she sees a sale from out of state there is a sense of excitement, "it's like every once in a while I see someone, and I'm like okay I see what I'm doing." Pearson has sensitive skin and through trial and error found recipes that do not irritate her skin and will also work for other people with sensitive skin.
Like Pearson, there is another entrepreneur who prides themself on making their own products. Latisha Price is a lecturer at Morgan State in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences. Price is also co-owner of The Sacred House of Roots, a natural hair care salon and hair care line based in Baltimore, MD. After 20 years of business Price still creates her own hair care products, she once had an extensive line but to make sure her clients were getting the best quality hair products she scaled back and focuses on her top 3 products hair butter, moisturizer, and oil. She even thought about working with a manufacturer but, “I like to be able to make it, even though I know that will really be hard once it gets to a larger scale and I would have to bring a manufacturer into it” said Price.
Some may be wary of cosmetic products being made in someone's home, but according to the FDA, there is no regulation as to where cosmetics can be made. As long as Pearson and Price follow appropriate labeling practices and protect products from being adulterated, they can create cosmetics right from their home.
Dr. Davis spoke about a trip she took a group of her students to speak with a marketing director for Neutrogena in Los Angeles. Where she and her students were told that if consumers reached out to brands and expressed, they wanted certain products or product colors made, then they would take a step towards getting those products made.
Large companies cannot say there has not been a demand for brands to be more inclusive to people of color. In a 2018, New York Times article where Dr. Davis was quoted, three women of color beauty influencers were highlighted for using their Youtube Channels to call out brands who had not made shades for black and brown people. In the same article, Jerrod Blandino, the co-founder, and chief creative officer of Too Faced, exemplified how he had to change his own brand because people of darker complexion could not wear his products.
Too Faced is somewhat at an advantage though because it is owned by parent company Estee Lauder. So the brand has funding and resources along with the willingness to expand and make their products more inclusive. With all these smaller “indie” brands popping up catering to the needs of people of color, does that cause more brands to revamp and create products for people of color? Or do the larger parent companies go and acquire these smaller brands?
Too Faced and their parent company Estee Lauder were both reached out to for a comment, but neither has yet to respond.
For those who have been business owners for a while like Price, they may not necessarily care to be sold in stores or to be bought by a large corporation. Price was once offered to have her products sold in Whole Foods, but she was young, and the deal ended up not going through. She is happy with where her business currently is and being apart of the day to day operations. When it comes to wanting to bought by a larger parent company it is a case by case topic and it all depends on the goals of the entrepreneur.
Women of color also have harder access to credit when it comes to starting their businesses. Many women of color are building their businesses on their own with no loans or financial help from banks and business brokers.
For those looking to expand their business and get in stores across the United States. Dr. Davis recommends looking into Target’s Accelerator Program, where they mentor and aid startup businesses in entering the retail world. “What I'm seeing is that black business owners want to get in stores themselves,” said Davis, in contrast to getting bought out by large parent companies.
Where do cosmetic entrepreneurs go from here?
The beauty industry has come a long way from Overton Hygienic Manufacturing Co. in 1898. That does not mean that all of the issues have been solved. There is still space in the cosmetic industry for people like Ms. Pearson and Ms. King to make their mark.
King has plans to expand her business to a storefront, along with providing more services like mentoring to her community. “I call [my business] Divine Beauty Luxe because Divine means of God, so I want to show people that their beauty if of God, and just empower them and let them know that they’re beautifully and wonderfully made as a whole.”
Pearson started Sincerely Syncerra as a hustle, motivated by her mother so that she can have an income while still a college student. “I wanted to quit, sometimes I was just like this isn’t for me. I’m enjoying what I’m doing but I feel like I’m not profiting from it. I felt like this business wasn’t going where I want it to go, but now that my business is expanding I kinda can see myself doing this long term.”
Price advises other young entrepreneurs, "to keep themselves in alignment with what they're trying to do, with their goals. Don't doubt yourself...Try not to stay negative." She continues with, "I try not to say it's hard because it's not, it's easy. Even if you feel yourself coming up against an obstacle, just remind yourself that it's not hard, it's easy, this is your business, this is your baby, stay dedicated to it, keep your mindset positive." All the hard work will pay off and this new generation of entrepreneurs will reach their goals.