The Good Ore, Tower 28, Better Not Younger, U Beauty
It takes a lot to select our Beauty O-ward winners each year. We lather, swipe, blend and rinse hundreds of formulas, absorbing their scent, scanning our faces at the end of the day to see if they stayed put, checking if a formula works on a wide range of skin tones, and more. We also connected with many of the founders behind the brands, learning who they are, where they come from, how they dreamed up their brand, what it took to launch their products, and why the formulas are unique, effective, and serve a need. Certain stories stand out and make us love the products even more. That is exactly what happened to these 10 founders of BIPOC. They have brilliant ideas, inspiring hustle and amazing products.
the good ore
Ego and Natasha Iwegbu, co-founders of The Good Mineral
Good Mineral Lucent Finishing Powder
THE HISTORY
When Ego told his sister Natasha that the makeup she used to cover up her severe acne made her sensitive skin feel itchy and inflamed and look like too much makeup, Natasha, a cosmetic chemist, went to work and created mineral formulations that excluded possible irritants. . To achieve an inclusive shade range, Natasha stopped people on the street where the sisters lived in South Africa to ask if she could match her foundation color to her skin tones.
THE WINNING PRODUCT
Translucent finishing powder, which helps set makeup, isn’t a one-size-fits-all shade for darker skin. So, Natasha and Ego created a marigold-tinted powder that blends perfectly. There is also an off-white tinted option for light to medium shades.
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tower 28
Amy Liu, founder of Tower 28
Tower 28 Beauty SunnyDays SPF 30 Tinted Foundation
THE HISTORY
Amy was a beauty executive for over 15 years, but avoided trying many of the products she worked on because she had eczema. She created what she had always wanted: makeup free of all known skin irritants, following the guidelines of the National Eczema Association.
THE WINNING PRODUCT
This is the formula that will convince you to wear sunscreen every morning. Do you usually avoid it because it makes your skin look orange, gray or purple? This comes in 14 (!) tints. Do you skip it because it feels too thick, greasy, or sticky? This is sheer and easy to spread and because it’s tinted you may not need to layer over anything else. Are you worried that SPF will irritate your skin or have ingredients you want to avoid? The ingredient list for this product is approved by the National Eczema Association and the active ingredient is 100 percent zinc.
Alicia Yoon
Alicia Yoon, Founder and CEO of Peach & Lily
PEACH & LILY Power Cocktail Lactic Acid Repair Serum
THE HISTORY
Alicia was a beautician who graduated from Harvard Business School when she launched PeachandLily.com, a retailer of Korean beauty brands. The site sparked a Korean beauty craze and helped introduce entirely new product categories and the famous 12-step Korean beauty routine to the West. Six years later, she launched the Peach & Lily product line, based on her knowledge of K-beauty and inspired by her personal struggles with severe eczema.
THE WINNING PRODUCT
Gentle, yet effective, that’s the magic of this nighttime exfoliating milk, safe for all skin types and colors. Gives skin a fresher, smoother finish thanks to 10 percent lactic acid (to loosen old, dull cells), plus ginseng, red algae, probiotics, and ceramides to protect and hydrate.
mentioned cosmetics
KJ Miller, Co-Founder and CEO of Mented
Mented Intense Color Eyeshadow Sticks
THE HISTORY
We’ve always been huge fans of Mented, a brand KJ launched in 2017 with close friend Amanda E. Johnson, whom he met while attending Harvard Business School. They shared a love of makeup and a frustration that nude lipsticks weren’t nude at all if you had dark skin. Early on, KJ watched YouTube tutorials and mixed formulas in her kitchen to create the first products: a line of six nude lipsticks that complemented all skin tones. Fast-forward five years, and now Mented sells inclusive ranges of foundation, blush, nail polish and more, and is a multi-million dollar brand.
THE WINNING PRODUCT
You can’t beat the convenience and quick application of an eyeshadow stick. But it only works if it glides on smoothly and imparts a lot of pigment in a minimal number of swipes (otherwise, ouch). These new shadow sticks check those boxes for all women of color. Better Off Bronze, Rosey Posey, Pretty Penny and Deja Brew shades are specifically formulated to appear on deeper skin tones. They are also waterproof, vegan and cruelty free.
ju ryu
Ju Rhyu, founder of Hero Cosmetics
Mighty Patch Mighty Patch Face by Hero Cosmetics
THE HISTORY
Ju Rhyu had worked for Kraft Foods, American Express, and Samsung, which brought her to Korea. It was there that she learned about hydrocolloid pimple patches. For years, she wanted to bring the technology to the US, and in 2017 she did just that, launching a product, called the Mighty Patch, on Amazon. Now her brand has more than 20 products to help people with acne.
THE WINNING PRODUCT
A single acne sticker is great when you have only one pimple. But what if you have a whole bunch of buds? Get this pack of five hydrocolloid patches, made to fit the nose, chin, cheeks and forehead. Stick the ones you need to your skin before you go to bed so they can absorb excess oil while you sleep.
PATTERN
Tracee Ellis Ross, Founder and CEO of Pattern
THE HISTORY
Already a successful actress, singer, director, and producer, Tracee Ellis Ross created Pattern, a hair care brand for curly, coiled, and textured hair, in 2019. She had had the idea for 20 years and spent some of those years testing and tweaking formulas before introducing a range that helped women adopt and care for their hair texture in their own bathrooms.
THE WINNING PRODUCT
One look at the mask in this jar and you’ll notice it’s packed with super-hydrating and restorative manuka honey. The formula strengthens the extra-fine spot where relaxed hair and natural hair meet, and is also ideal for those transitioning from protective to wash-‘n’-go styling.
beauty thinkers
Jeffrey Matsumoto, co-founder of Beauty Thinkers
Beauty Thinkers Antioxidant Booster
THE HISTORY
Jeffrey, who is from Hawaii, and his partner in life and business, Claudio Castiglioni, met while working at the fashion brand Tod’s. They continued to work in luxury fashion until they launched Beauty Thinkers in 2018 in partnership with the owners of an estate in a remote area of Umbria, Italy, and the University of Ferrara, Italy. The skincare is made from recycled ingredients from the grinding of the earth’s antioxidant-rich olive trees.
THE WINNING PRODUCT
Olive oil extract is high in antioxidants and great for the skin, but it can be difficult to spread and is not always easily absorbed. Using a new biotechnology that enzymatically converts the fatty acids in the oil into free fatty acids (just like your gut would), this olive oil remains highly potent, yet penetrates directly into the skin. Apply it as your last skincare step, but before sunscreen.
better not younger
Sonsoles González from Better Not Younger
Better Not Younger Superpower Hair & Scalp Duo Set
THE HISTORY
Sonsoles spent 25 years working on hair care brands at L’Oréal and P&G. When he was 50 years old, he discovered that the products didn’t work as well for his changing hair. And she, as a Latina, she wanted to create a hair care brand that was inclusive and empowering for women over 40.
THE WINNING PRODUCT
It can be tricky to apply a scalp serum evenly when you have hair. But this ergonomic ball-tipped comb, filled with the citrus-scented follicle-stimulating leave-in serum, glides through strands, separating them as it spreads the serum. And it feels fantastic.
your beauty
Tina Chen Craig, Founder of U Beauty
U Beauty The BARRIER bioactive treatment
THE HISTORY
In 2005, Tina Chen Craig, a seasoned TV host, co-launched one of the first fashion blogs, called Bag Snob, and later turned that success into her own skincare brand, U Beauty. Craig credits the way her Chinese mother and grandmother were faithful to skin care as the inspiration for her line, which offers “fewer but better products that produce real results,” she says.
THE WINNING PRODUCT
A few nights a week, instead of our typical night cream, we apply a generous layer of Craig’s new night mask to our faces and wake up to noticeably improved skin that feels a little smoother, looks more shiny and, hopefully, over time (thanks to a technology that delivers anti-aging marine ingredients directly to damaged cells) it also becomes firmer.
Kate Sandoval Box (her) is the beauty director for Oprah Daily. She has over 18 years of experience in national women’s media brands; and, in fact, she started her editorial career at O, The Oprah Magazine. She has also held beauty editor positions at Shape, Self, Latina, and Cosmopolitan. Kate tests hundreds upon hundreds of beauty products that cross her desk each year and interviews many of the top experts, celebrities and independent brand founders to bring you the best in beauty. Follow her on Instagram.
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