In July, Ami Colé founder Diarrha N’Diaye announced her decision to close the brand because it became too economically challenging to keep it going. Her decision sent shockwaves through the Black-owned beauty community, where Ami Colé had been seen as one of the most successful breakout brands, thanks to a strong following and buzzy Sephora debut. Other founders thought, if she can’t make it, how will I?
Alicia Scott, the founder of Range Beauty, noticed the outpouring of support that came when N’Diaye announced Ami Colé’s closure—and was left wondering where that support is for Black-owned brands before they shut down.
“We are trying to understand where that support is throughout the longevity of the brand,” Scott says. “There are larger conversations that need to go on, or else we’re going to see more doors shut.”
Scott’s brand Range brings in seven figures in revenue and is sold in 88 Sephora stores. In 2021 and 2024, she won $50,000 and $100,000 grants from Glossier, through a program that supports Black-owned beauty brands. The Glossier grant helped her pay for inventory to make a Sephora launch happen after other planned funding fell through. Glossier is supporting other alumni of its 5-year-old grant program this year because of the challenges so many of these emerging brands are facing—and despite political fear among many other companies to keep these kinds of programs going. “We felt we had even more of a necessity to step up when the traditional ecosphere wasn’t necessarily supporting these founders,” says Glossier communications, partnerships, and impact head Veronika Ullmer.
Scott is at the center of the Black founder ecosystem; one of her investors is Arian Simone’s Fearless Fund, which was among the first firms targeted with an anti-DEI lawsuit. Another is Emma Grede, the executive who works closely with the Kardashian family on their brands, including Skims.
That latter connection turned out to be crucial in helping others see the value Black founders bring to the beauty category. Scott introduced N’Diaye (a Glossier alum) to Grede after Ami Colé’s closure—and this morning, Skims announced that N’Diaye will be the head of Skims’ forthcoming Skims Beauty. As EVP, beauty and fragrance, N’Diaye will lead product development, innovation, and brand strategy for Skims Beauty.
The hiring has caught the attention of the beauty world today. For Skims, which launched with a promise of size and shade inclusivity for its shapewear and apparel, it’s a sign that brand aims to bring that same ethos to its highly-anticipated beauty launch.
For other Black founders in beauty, it’s a sign that despite the many, many headwinds, their expertise will be valued by the right investors, the right acquirers, even the right employers. Today’s economic reality made running Ami Colé unsustainable for N’Diaye, but with Skims’ resources behind her she’ll hopefully be able to bring a version of her vision to life.
The answer for every founder won’t—and shouldn’t—be to leave their own brand behind. Programs like Glossier’s are one step in making sure these brands don’t shutter before their time. But as smaller brands seek paths forward, Skims’ vote of confidence in N’Diaye should remind the big businesses and investors of the talent in this category—if only they can see it.
Emma Hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com
The Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter is Fortune’s daily briefing for and about the women leading the business world. Subscribe here.
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