Glossier gives Black Beauty Grant Program recipients £10K to shift the beauty landscape

05 Jun 2024 --- Glossier announces the five recipients of its UK Black Beauty Grant Program in partnership with Black Girl Fest Studios (BGF), aiming to “change how the world sees beauty.”

The Glossier Grant Program invests in Black beauty entrepreneurs to address “legacies of inequity, exclusion and barriers to fundraising.” The grantees will receive help scaling their businesses and expanding their networks with industry connections, brand exposure and mentoring. 

The 2024 program offers Black beauty founders personal and professional growth through a 12-week learning program and £10,000 (US$12,773) equity-free grant. Together, BGF and Glossier hope to “amplify the voices of Black Beauty Founders, celebrate their unique perspectives and work toward a more inclusive and equitable future for the industry.”

Helping a community
The 2024 grantees include Karen Olla, founder of fragrance brand Oré Mi; Phoebe Ellis, co-founder of tanning products for melanin-rich skin Caribe Skin; Danielle Igor’s wig company Igor Hair; Damilola Akinnaike’s luxury skin care brand Ami London and Natel Allen’s indie nail polish brand Télle Moi.

“Early-stage founders in the beauty industry need the right networks, knowledge and access to funding to thrive,” explains Nicole Crentsil, founder and chief executive of BGF.

“That’s why we truly believe this program will offer founders something impactful for both their personal and professional growth.”

The millennial pink skin care and makeup brand says it is committed to DEI.The partnership between Glossier and BGF began in April 2023 and is part of Glossier’s commitment to DEI. It builds on Glossier’s US Grant Program, which began in 2020 and has provided funding and tailored business support for over 30 founders of beauty brands.

Kleo Mack, chief marketing officer of Glossier, says: “We’re proud to be in partnership with BGF for the second year of our Grant Program in the UK.”

“Our team loved getting to know and learn from our first cohort of founders in 2023, and we’re thrilled to welcome a new cohort of five brands into this year’s program. We cannot wait for our community to learn more about these brilliant brands and the visionary founders behind them.”

Black beauty brands
Personal Care Insights recently spoke with Yarden Horwitz, co-founder of Spate, about its report, The Black Beauty Consumer Trends on TikTok, and the importance of beauty companies catering to Black consumers, a demographic some say is overlooked. The report gives brands insights on skin concerns and the significance of diverse hair types to embrace inclusivity and understanding of Black consumers.

Beauty entrepreneurship is seeding diversity in cosmetic solutions that represent the needs of underrepresented POC. Dr. Abhijit Desai and Dr. Gauri Desai launched Brownkind, redefining skin care for melanin-rich skin, and BrainTrust Founders Studio recently showcased the growing economic impact of Black businesses in beauty.

Additionally, last year, Singer-songwriter John Legend debuted a unisex skin care brand, Loved01, to address the needs of melanin-rich skin. The brand’s entrance was an attempt in the personal care industry to increase representation and inclusivity in the sector.

By Sabine Waldeck