Hi! I’m trying out the thread option on Substack as a way to send and start conversations around “breaking” beauty news. Below, you can comment and share your thoughts. I thought this Glossier announcement was a good fit. It’s an announcement I’ve had my eye on, and it’s a development within a moment we witnessed in June: Beauty Brands In Response to Black Life and Police Brutality.
If you enjoy this newsletter, subscribe + forward to a friend!BEAUTY IRL covers beauty at the intersection of politics and pop culture through breaking news, trends, and personal experiences.
Today, Glossier announced the recipients of its Grant Initiative for Black-Owned Beauty Business. They awarded grants to 16 businesses.
On May 30th, the skincare and makeup brand announced that it would be donating $500K across various organizations focused on racial injustice, and $500K in grant money toward Black-owned beauty businesses.
On June 11th, they opened the application process and received nearly 10,000 applicants, according to Senior Community Manager Kim Johnson. Applicants were considered by a panel made up of colleagues across teams including Content, Finance, Creative, and Community. For all founders who applied, Glossier has created a month-long September programming series that will focus on topics such as storytelling and supply chain.
Glossier was all over my timeline in August. CEO Emily Weiss publically apologized to retail workers (called Editors) after the emergence of an anonymous Instagram account on August 13th. Outta The Gloss details accounts of racism and mistreatment within retail spaces, and how that was handled by the company, along with their demands. “Over the past three months, through conversations with members of Glossier’s retail team and, more recently, the stories shared via @OuttaTheGloss, it’s become clear that we’ve failed to ensure that all voices are heard, and protected, within our internal community,” Weiss said on August 17th.
On Monday, Monica appeared on the Instagram Live music battle Verzuz faced off against Brandy, with a Glossier water bottle front and center. According to a Glossier rep, it was gifted as part of a partnership.
(Full transparency: I’ve worked with Glossier as a social strategy consultant between November 2017 and May 2018 before I decided to focus on reporting on the industry.)
Below are all grant recipients with a short summary of each brand’s mission.
Growth-Stage
“Businesses that launched over 12 months ago and are working to scale operations.” Grant amount: $50,000 per business
AbsoluteJOI: A clean skincare line designed to address “the needs of women with melanin-rich skin.” Developed by Dr. Anne Beal.
Alodia Hair Care: A line of hair and scalp products with a focus on using technology, plant extracts and herbs to personalize product choices.
Golde: A health and beauty brand powered by superfoods with products such as latte blends and face masks.
Hanahana Beauty: A clean skincare and wellness brand founded by Ghanian-American entrepreneur Abena Boamah-Acheampong that keeps “Black women at the forefront of their business and brand.”
Melanj Hair: A textured hair extensions brand founded by sisters Nikki and Whitney.
Early-Stage
“Businesses that launched in the past 12 months and are working to grow a customer base.” Grant amount: $30,000 per business
Brown Girl Jane: A wellness brand centering the needs of women of color with a product line that uses broad-spectrum CBD to “address internal balance and external beauty.”
epi.logic: A skincare brand with a line of products that use essential actives, founded by board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Chaneve Jeanniton.
Flaunt Body:A unisex body care products line addressing specific skin concerns, such as ingrown hairs.
kanti: A skincare brand creating clean and affordable skincare for people of color, “while celebrating Black and brown skin at the forefront of their brand.”
Luna Magic: A line of cosmetics founded by Afro-Latina and Dominican-American sisters Mabel and Shaira Frías that celebrate their love for their multicultural heritage, Latin culture, and music.
Redoux: A fragrance line that bottles “the feeling of memories through scent and storytelling.”
THE MOST: A brand creating styling tools for textured hair, designed to minimize styling time.
Pre-Launch
“Businesses with a finalized business plan and plans to launch within the next 12 months.” Grant amount: $10,000 per business
DEON LIBRA: An adaptogenic beauty brand formulated to “support the body’s natural ability to handle stress and activate lasting healthy skin.”
Eadem: A hyper-targeted skincare line for melanin-rich skin.
Pound Cake: “A pro-Black, pro-fat, and pro-queer” cosmetics company with a focus on lipstick shade inclusivity.
Wavy Blue: A men’s personal haircare brand with a focus on Black men’s curls and coils.
ABOUT DARIAN: This newsletter is written by Darian Symoné Harvin. Darian is a multimedia beauty reporter and social media editor using her journalism and curatorial skills to craft narratives and distinct takes on beauty, pop culture, and the intersection of both. So far, her career has been dedicated to working on thoughtful and virals ways to present news and content to people on the internet and IRL, for platforms like BuzzFeed News, Yahoo News, NBC News, and Vox.com. Darian wants to use her love and curiosity for beauty to tell stories. She currently writes for the New York Times, Refinery29, teenVogue, and The Cut. You can find more of her work here.
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Glossier Announces Recipients of Grant Initiative for Black-Owned Beauty Businesses
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Hi! I’m trying out the thread option on Substack as a way to send and start conversations around “breaking” beauty news. Below, you can comment and share your thoughts. I thought this Glossier announcement was a good fit. It’s an announcement I’ve had my eye on, and it’s a development within a moment we witnessed in June: Beauty Brands In Response to Black Life and Police Brutality.
If you enjoy this newsletter, subscribe + forward to a friend! BEAUTY IRL covers beauty at the intersection of politics and pop culture through breaking news, trends, and personal experiences.
Ciao! @darian
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Photo credit: Glossier
Today, Glossier announced the recipients of its Grant Initiative for Black-Owned Beauty Business. They awarded grants to 16 businesses.
On May 30th, the skincare and makeup brand announced that it would be donating $500K across various organizations focused on racial injustice, and $500K in grant money toward Black-owned beauty businesses.
On June 11th, they opened the application process and received nearly 10,000 applicants, according to Senior Community Manager Kim Johnson. Applicants were considered by a panel made up of colleagues across teams including Content, Finance, Creative, and Community. For all founders who applied, Glossier has created a month-long September programming series that will focus on topics such as storytelling and supply chain.
Glossier was all over my timeline in August. CEO Emily Weiss publically apologized to retail workers (called Editors) after the emergence of an anonymous Instagram account on August 13th. Outta The Gloss details accounts of racism and mistreatment within retail spaces, and how that was handled by the company, along with their demands. “Over the past three months, through conversations with members of Glossier’s retail team and, more recently, the stories shared via @OuttaTheGloss, it’s become clear that we’ve failed to ensure that all voices are heard, and protected, within our internal community,” Weiss said on August 17th.
On Monday, Monica appeared on the Instagram Live music battle Verzuz faced off against Brandy, with a Glossier water bottle front and center. According to a Glossier rep, it was gifted as part of a partnership.
(Full transparency: I’ve worked with Glossier as a social strategy consultant between November 2017 and May 2018 before I decided to focus on reporting on the industry.)
Below are all grant recipients with a short summary of each brand’s mission.
Growth-Stage
“Businesses that launched over 12 months ago and are working to scale operations.” Grant amount: $50,000 per business
AbsoluteJOI: A clean skincare line designed to address “the needs of women with melanin-rich skin.” Developed by Dr. Anne Beal.
Alodia Hair Care: A line of hair and scalp products with a focus on using technology, plant extracts and herbs to personalize product choices.
Golde: A health and beauty brand powered by superfoods with products such as latte blends and face masks.
Hanahana Beauty: A clean skincare and wellness brand founded by Ghanian-American entrepreneur Abena Boamah-Acheampong that keeps “Black women at the forefront of their business and brand.”
Melanj Hair: A textured hair extensions brand founded by sisters Nikki and Whitney.
Early-Stage
“Businesses that launched in the past 12 months and are working to grow a customer base.” Grant amount: $30,000 per business
Brown Girl Jane: A wellness brand centering the needs of women of color with a product line that uses broad-spectrum CBD to “address internal balance and external beauty.”
epi.logic: A skincare brand with a line of products that use essential actives, founded by board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Chaneve Jeanniton.
Flaunt Body: A unisex body care products line addressing specific skin concerns, such as ingrown hairs.
kanti: A skincare brand creating clean and affordable skincare for people of color, “while celebrating Black and brown skin at the forefront of their brand.”
Luna Magic: A line of cosmetics founded by Afro-Latina and Dominican-American sisters Mabel and Shaira Frías that celebrate their love for their multicultural heritage, Latin culture, and music.
Redoux: A fragrance line that bottles “the feeling of memories through scent and storytelling.”
THE MOST: A brand creating styling tools for textured hair, designed to minimize styling time.
Pre-Launch
“Businesses with a finalized business plan and plans to launch within the next 12 months.” Grant amount: $10,000 per business
DEON LIBRA: An adaptogenic beauty brand formulated to “support the body’s natural ability to handle stress and activate lasting healthy skin.”
Eadem: A hyper-targeted skincare line for melanin-rich skin.
Pound Cake: “A pro-Black, pro-fat, and pro-queer” cosmetics company with a focus on lipstick shade inclusivity.
Wavy Blue: A men’s personal haircare brand with a focus on Black men’s curls and coils.
ABOUT DARIAN: This newsletter is written by Darian Symoné Harvin. Darian is a multimedia beauty reporter and social media editor using her journalism and curatorial skills to craft narratives and distinct takes on beauty, pop culture, and the intersection of both. So far, her career has been dedicated to working on thoughtful and virals ways to present news and content to people on the internet and IRL, for platforms like BuzzFeed News, Yahoo News, NBC News, and Vox.com. Darian wants to use her love and curiosity for beauty to tell stories. She currently writes for the New York Times, Refinery29, teenVogue, and The Cut. You can find more of her work here.