Pier Duncan: How would you describe the current state of the Beauty industry? 

Amanda Jones Faoye: While the COVID-19 pandemic slowed some categories down, the focus on self-care and natural, no-fuss looks infused growth in categories like at-home hair care, skincare, and at-home nail care. As consumers are starting to realize a new normal, we are now experiencing a recovery of makeup categories like foundation and lipstick that were previously suppressed under constant mask-wearing and quarantines. Industry experts are referring to it as the Roaring 20s (yes, again!). Consumers are getting back to the little and big moments that matter and are looking to renew their beauty routines.

Duncan: Who are some Black beauty founders or individuals that we should know about? 

Jones Faoye: Some of my favorites include:

·Cora and Stefan Miller, founders of Young King Hair Care. Inspired by their son, they created a hair care line to help Black and brown boys find confidence in their natural curls. The products are formulated with highly effective, natural, and plant-based ingredients, and marketed directly for boys in a beauty industry that's traditionally targeted for women. A great example of a purpose-driven brand that is rapidly growing due to its authenticity and ability to fill the needs of an underserved market. You can find it at Target and Walmart!

·Esi Eggleston Bracey, EVP and COO Unilever Beauty and Personal Care North America. As the leader of some of the world's most recognized personal-care brands, Esi is the brain behind Dove's the CROWN Act. If you haven't heard of it, the CROWN Act stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair. That's right, we needed actual legislation because in the US, the law in many states does not currently afford protection for race-based hair discrimination. Esi's creation, and ongoing advancement of the CROWN Act, is bringing meaningful change to this country—and meaningful value to the Dove brand. I'll say it again, consumers love a brand with a higher purpose!

·Dorian Morris, Founder and (Sh)EO of Undefined Beauty. Dorian is on a mission to democratize and destigmatize plant-based solutions (read: CBD) in beauty. But even more exciting, she partners exclusively with female-founded, minority-owned, or LGBTQ businesses for every part of her business, from manufacturing to marketing. You're getting the point? Brands with purpose are the WAVE! You can find Undefined Beauty at select Whole Foods.

Duncan: What is the future of the Black beauty industry?

Jones Faoye: There is still a lot of growth on the horizon for the Black beauty industry. In 2020, we saw an increased focus on promoting Black beauty brands among power retailers like Target, Walmart, Sephora, and Ulta, and I don't anticipate any slowing down. Why? Because Black beauty brands have shown to have a deep and meaningful purpose, and are building quality products that are intentionally solving for previously unmet needs. BIPOC consumers have gone from shopping in despair, not finding anything that worked for them, to roaming the shopping aisles or websites shopping with pride. Going forward, we should anticipate more capital available to Black beauty entrepreneurs, more traditional consumer packaged goods companies creating and investing in sub-brands that target BIPOC consumers (e.g., Mele Skincare from Unilever or NOU hair care from Procter & Gamble), and more refined and relevant messaging from traditional beauty brands.

Duncan: What predictions do you have for how Black beauty will look, change, and feel in 2022?

Jones Faoye: We will continue to see more inclusion and diversity across attributes outside of just skin tone. Brands are recognizing that they have to go beyond skin tone to really connect with consumers on a meaningful and emotional level. Consumers need to see their own style, their own hair, their own body type, their own culture, their own gender identity, their own values and beliefs (and beyond) represented to feel connected and influenced to support a brand. This mandate from consumers is forcing brands to go to market differently and be more radical in their approach vs. the traditional beauty marketing norms we are all used to seeing. And further, this mandate continues to put pressure on brands to employ diverse hiring practices, resulting in the prospect for more authentic brands across the board.

Duncan: What trends are you excited about?

Jones Faoye: I'm most excited about the trends of conscious and clean beauty evolving into holistic beauty and wellness, as well as the continued focus on embracing imperfections and using beauty to enhance natural beauty rather than covering it up. Together, these two trends feel like we are heading towards a more purpose-driven industry and moving out of the superficial beauty norms that have had the industry in a chokehold for decades.

For Dr. Chaneve Jeanniton, starting one business—let alone two—within the beauty space was never a part of her plan. 

Shortly after becoming a board-certified oculofacial plastic surgeon and working for other practices for a couple of years, Dr. Jeanniton quickly realized that working under other people’s guidelines wasn’t the pathway for her. With limited resources and capital, she decided to launch her first business, Brooklyn Face & Eye, in 2016, where she specializes in face and eye aesthetics. 

While in the treatment room, where she offers services that range from botox to chemical peels, Dr. Jeanniton encountered several patients who often gave her blank stares of confusion when she recommended products to use for their skin concerns. 

“When I delved into why [people were confused], it was because [the products] weren’t fun,” she says. “They didn't feel good. And so much of what we crave out of skincare is like pleasure and a sensorial experience. So it got me thinking, there is this crazy divide. Like, why is it that the stuff that's good for you lives on one shelf and the stuff that feels good for you lives on another?”

She began to ruminate on a way that she could make her own line of skincare products that would not only be backed by science, but would also appeal to each of a person’s senses—from its natural scent to the way it feels on the skin and the look of the packaging. 

Her answer was epi.logic, a benefits-based skincare line, which she launched in October 2019. Dr. Jeanniton’s extensive product line, which is meant to fulfill a full skincare routine, includes a rosehip gel cleanser, collagen-renew growth serum, a night repair eye cream, and more. Each of her products are vibrantly colored and naturally scented with no artificial fragrances. They live in attractive glass packaging that leans toward self-care rather than clinical care. Dr. Jeanniton says that what excites her the most about the beauty industry right now is how much more inclusive skincare brands are trying to be. 

“My only hope is that it is not a trend and that it's really going to be a lasting change in terms of really making sure that all skin tones are represented in both clinical research and testing and product formulation,” she says. 

“It’s clear that skin of color has been neglected for far too long, and the industry is starting to see that, and I'm just hoping that it's actually an earnest change rather than a flash in the pan for the moment.”

Ciara Imani May created Rebundle—a startup social enterprise that creates plant-based hair products and recycles used synthetic hair—for Black women like her. 

After deciding to grow out her natural hair in 2019, the 27-year-old entrepreneur started rocking braids regularly. However, she found that they made her scalp red, itchy, and inflamed—an issue that 1 in 3 women experience from wearing plastic synthetic hair often used in protective hairstyles such as braids and twists. 

This led her down a rabbit hole of research to better understand what types of artificial products were being used in traditional Kanekalon hair, a popular type of synthetic hair that resembles the natural pattern of Afro-textured hair and is the most commonly used for protective hairstyles. The name “Kanekalon”—a word that is universally understood at any beauty supply—was trademarked by Kaneka, an Osaka-based chemical-manufacturing company founded in 1949.  

May began sending synthetic hair products to labs to be tested and learned of the toxic chemicals used, which caused the adverse effects that she’d been experiencing. She also started researching ways to prevent waste after discovering that plastic synthetic hair has accumulated millions of pounds of waste worldwide. 

In January 2021, May released her first product, “braid better by Rebundle” hair, which uses fibers that are extracted from byproducts of banana stems that usually go to waste. The texture of the hair is similar to Kanekalon hair, but is much better for the environment. Since launching, Rebundle offers six colors of braiding hair, all of which sell out incredibly fast every time they are restocked. The company recently announced that it has raised $1.4 million in venture capital.

As a new thought leader in the beauty space, May says that finding ways to be sustainable within your business should be a central point.

“I think that there are a lot of spaces and products that need sustainability trends added to them,” she says. “So you know, just pick one and go from there. There's so much room for all of us to improve.”