If you’re as much of a beauty enthusiast as I am then you’ve probably heard the news about Ami Cole. The Black-owned clean beauty brand, which was aimed at melanin-rich skin, will be closing down in September after just four years. The reason? The brand’s founder Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye said that the company could not sustain itself in the current market.
Diversity in the beauty industry is something that I’ve always championed and it was really sad to hear that yet Black-owned brand would be closing down. While I was shocked to hear the news, I wasn’t surprised. It’s no secret that Black founders struggle to find investment for their businesses and when you pair this with the challenges that they face when they enter what is an incredibly oversaturated market, the odds are undoubtedly against them.
Without getting too much into the operational side of things, I wanted to share some thoughts on the beauty industry, where I think it stands at the moment and diversity in the beauty industry. The last time I checked, there were over 13,000 beauty brands entering the market every year. Imagine that. 13,000 beauty brands all trying to co-exist in a space which established brands have dominated for years, proving that the beauty industry is oversaturated. I do think that there will always be a demand for it and there are certain gaps in the market that need to be filled but way too much is happening at the moment and a lot of consumers, myself included, are simply overwhelmed by it all.
Beauty’s biggest challenge at the moment is retention. There are only so many things that brands can do to attract consumers’ attention. At a time where we’re in a social media age and trends influence so much of what we do, it’s becoming impossible for customers to stay loyal to one brand. Let’s also not forget the fact that we are still in a cozzy-livs, so people’s priorities have changed when it comes to what they want from beauty.
When I think about my relationship with beauty, I remember a time when I was obsessed with newness. I was convinced that I needed to have whatever was new. It wasn’t until I turned 30 that my attitude towards beauty changed and I started to gravitate towards the products and routines that worked for me rather than whatever was considered to be trendy. Now, I rebuy 80-90% of the products in my skincare and makeup routine. Even though I am a beauty journalist and I am able to try out products for work purposes, I’m finally happy with this same-y approach to beauty that I’ve adopted.
Any brand entering the market or struggling to sustain themselves in the market has a big challenge on their hands. I also think it’s going to be even more difficult for brands to go head to head with legacy brands because they have more resources at their disposal – money probably being the most important of them all.
Moving on to diversity in the beauty industry. When I think about diversity in the beauty industry, I’m reminded of the resurgence of the BLM movement and the promises that were made by many of the brands that we know and love. While I think we have come a long way and steps have been taken to make the beauty industry a more inclusive place, we still have a long way to go. The beauty industry needs to be a level playing field and it isn’t.
As I mentioned earlier, Black founders struggle to secure funding for their businesses. This is something that’s never really made sense to me because we know that Black women spend a ridiculous amount of money on hair and beauty products every year. If we’re spending all of this money on hair and beauty products, then we must feel catered to or represented in some way, meaning that there is space in the market for brands that are aimed at us. If we are willing to part with our money in order to look good and feel good then why aren’t the changemakers paying attention to this demand?
Black-owned brands haven’t really been given the opportunity to sit on the same pedestal as established brands and if they are then this usually requires acquisition by a conglomerate, as we saw in the case of Mielle Organics back in 2023. However, moves like this don’t tend to be welcomed by the Black community and founders are often accused of selling out. I think one of the issues that some people in the Black community have with acquisitions is that the brand’s products won’t be as efficacious as they were before but this is a topic for another post.
The closure of Ami Cole has left me wondering whether Black-owned brands need to diversify in order to succeed. Part of me thinks no because if Black-owned brands are selling their products then there’s obviously a demand for them so why do they need to switch things up if what they’re doing is working? Authenticity is at the heart of many brands and it’s so easy for a brand to lose their authenticity when they try to please everyone.
However, it appears that achieving success in the beauty industry lies in reaching multiple demographics. I think of brands like IMAN Cosmetics and Black Opal who didn’t give in to diversification and their impact is only recognised by the Black community and these are brands that have been around for decades. Diversification requires brands to step away from what works for them in the hope of achieving success. At the end of the day, every founder has a vision for their brand and if diversification and ultimately, acquisition is a part of that journey then so be it.
In terms of what the future holds for Black-owned brands, I think that diversification will be an option that more of them start to explore. Black consumers are spending money on new and existing brands but founders aren’t really thought of as successful until they’ve appealed to the masses. Something else I think people need to keep in mind where diversification is concerned is that there’s a bit of a revolution against Black-owned brands that’s taking place online. There’s a video on TikTok where a girl is throwing out hair products from Black-owned brands in favour of mainstream (or commercial) brands and she’s not alone.
Attitudes towards Black beauty are changing and if you think I’m lying then look at how brands like Olaplex and K18 have started to position themselves as a go-to brand for Black women with Type 4 hair. So while I’m not the biggest fan of diversification (due to a potential loss of authenticity), I understand that sometimes it can be the only way for Black founders to achieve their desired level of success.
So there’s my take on the Ami Cole situation and what I believe to be some of beauty’s biggest challenges at the moment. What do you think about the Ami Cole news and what do you think is beauty’s biggest challenge? Let me know in the comments.
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