In July, Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye announced that her beauty brand Ami Colé will close in September. As one of the few Black women to have raised more than $1 million in venture capital, N’Diaye-Mbaye’s exit marks a loss not just for beauty lovers, but for Black female founders, too. Ami Colé had a devoted following, but the brand struggled to compete with industry giants backed by deep-pocketed corporations. “I couldn’t compete with the deep pockets of corporate brands; at retail stores, prime shelf space comes at a price, and we couldn’t
Black Girl Sunscreen (BGS) has achieved remarkable success, earning $1.1 million in just three months on Amazon, according to AfroTech. A Vision Rooted in Necessity In 2016, Shontay Lundy created BGS, a 30 SPF lotion formulated for women of color. Recognizing this gap, she invested $33,000 of her own money to create a product that wouldn’t leave the notorious white residue on darker skin tones. Made with melanated skin in mind, BGS dries completely clear and protects melanin without the white-cast that normal skin care tends to leave, according to
