It’s often said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In the case of this cosmetics company, the beholder is a Black Woman who envisioned opulent hues, shimmering flawlessly on melanin-rich skin. NaChé Cosmetics is a rising beauty brand creating lipsticks tailored to complement darker skin tones.
For over 20 years, founder NaChé Thompson has held a profound love for makeup. However, this feeling was often stained by the inability to find products made for her beautiful, dark skin.
“Years ago, I had a job interview and I needed makeup for it, so after work, I went to a popular cosmetics store. The store had hundreds of products on its shelves all made by makeup companies claiming they could ‘make me feel more beautiful’. But somehow, none of those products looked great on my skin tone,” Thompson disappointedly explained.
“Instead of leaving that store feeling empowered and gorgeous, I left feeling humiliated, excluded, and overlooked. That wasn’t the first time something like that happened to me, and it wasn’t the last. But it was the experience that led to the initial stages of NaChé Cosmetics.”
Developing Makeup for Inclusivity
NaChé Cosmetics offers an array of liquid matte lipsticks for effortless wear. Thompson’s vision was to make shopping for cosmetic products more of a joy and less of an obstacle. Centered around self-love and expression, the inclusive makeup brand emphasizes the importance of having dark-skinned individuals represented in every stage of the product development process.
“When dark-skinned beauties choose to shop with NaChé Cosmetics, they don’t have to waste time guessing whether or not our products will look great on them, because we’ve already tested that,” the visionary explained. “They don’t have to worry that they’re wearing the wrong shade or feel self-conscious about whether the red lipstick they’re wearing clashes with their skin tone. They can rest assured that it won’t because we’ve made sure of it before we even put it up for sale. We want everyone to wear our makeup confidently, and for people to go through their day forgetting that it’s even on their face.”
Gone are the days of mismatched shades and uncertainty at checkout— NaChé Cosmetics is here to make a powerful statement with representation.
No Competition For This Black Woman-Owned Makeup Brand
In an industry often dominated by celebrity-owned brands and plagued by the idea of oversaturation, NaChé Cosmetics remains intentional and unbothered in principle. “I don’t really think about either thing,” the trailblazing founder asserted. “I just run my own race, confident that people who need what I’m making will find me and we’ll be in community.”
One of the cosmetic brand’s most notable features is its industrial-designed case and educational features. “Part of my goal with NaChé Cosmetics was to push back against traditional beauty standards. I’ve always been a curvy girl. I wanted the bottle to look like a full-figured woman.”
Each lipstick is elegantly packaged in a soft pink box, covered by the imagery of two curvy, melanated women. Resembling a chess piece on the exterior, and a wide-based applicator inside, each stick is specifically designed to suit full lips for smooth and efficient passes. The company simplifies the process of finding the perfect hue, offering an expertly crafted guide for shopping based on undertones, mass tones, and your skin’s intrinsic characteristics.
Adapting to the evolving makeup industry, Thompson remains committed to the core mission and values of her brand. “My approach is really to be aware of trends that come and go, but not to bend to trends. My goal is to provide timeless makeup staples. Things that are important to me and to my customers are that our products remain high-quality, long-lasting, and sustainable and that the company remains inclusive,” she emphasized.
Breaking Into the Beauty Industry
While the NaChé Cosmetics brand is growing, the journey still faces common, but unfortunate circumstances. “The most difficult part about entering the billion-dollar beauty industry as a Black woman-owned brand has been the lack of access to capital for Black Women,” Thompson conveyed. She noted how competitive the quest for grants has become and the steep financial commitment required to break into the industry with a significant impact.
“Black Women are starting companies at record rates, we are one of the most educated demographics, and yet for some reason, *cough, cough racism*, our companies are grossly underfunded.”
“There are billions of dollars in venture capital circling the economy, and less than 1% of that goes to companies owned by Black Women.”
NaChé Thompson
“That’s the most difficult part for me. Knowing my company is built on a solid foundation, that my products are beautiful and needed, and that I am capable of building a billion-dollar brand, and still having to fight for every dollar in funding so that I can keep going at this early stage in my journey. I know I’ll get what I need in time, but it’s a major challenge for me.”
The Impact of NaChé Cosmetics
Makeup lovers aren’t the only ones taking notice of the brand’s presence. Thompson was recently invited to attend the Beyoncé-founded BeyGood Foundation Black Parade Route Luncheon, celebrating people, communities, and small businesses impacted by economic inequities. On the heels of this recognition, the rising makeup mogul announced expansion plans to release concealer and foundation collections.
NaChé Cosmetics stands as a beacon of change, a champion of inclusivity, and a testament to the power of intentional creations. Its existence remains an open invitation for all to embark on journeys of self-confidence while celebrating the beauty of who you are.
