Self-Expression Rules This Black History Month

With the Philadelphia Eagles – led by Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley – crowned the Super Bowl LIX champions, (and not to mention, this year’s Grammy winners Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s unforgettable halftime show) Black History Month soared to boundless heights. The same goes for Black-owned businesses.

Here, Happi breaks down the latest achievements of the some of the moment’s leading BIPOC brands.

New Home and Personal Care Brand Ayéya Addresses Poverty and Clean Water in Africa

Home and personal care brand Ayéya Founder Olowo-n’djo Tchala was born into poverty in 1980s Kaboli, Togo, West Africa. As a young boy, he dropped out of school to accompany his mother on long treks to far-away farms at harvest season to bring back vegetables to feed their family and village elders unable to walk. The following decade, he met his future wife, who was visiting his village as a student with the Peace Corps in the late 1990s. Their meeting was his ticket to a better life. He eventually made his way to America to study with her at the University of California, Davis, a public land-grant research university lauded for its agricultural and environmental sciences. Propelled by a curiosity to understand capitalism and the global system, he earned a degree in organizational theory. He later earned the US Secretary of State’s 2018 Award for Corporate Excellence in Women’s Economic Empowerment, and is a current member of the US Trade Advisory Committee on Africa.

Armed with this knowledge, Tchala is addressing poverty and inequality in his homeland with the start of his personal care brand, Ayéya. Loosely translated as “life in balance” in Kabolian, he is making use of Africa’s lush shea and coconut trees and affording jobs to African people who help extract the ingredients that are used to make organic personal care products like bar soaps and bath bombs to waterless dish and laundry detergent tablets – a win, win for both people and plant, Tchala said. Plus, all of the brand’s products are housed in upcycled packaging that is 90% plastic-free, which have hit the shelves of Whole Foods and Sprouts last month across the US.

“I have found a way in my role that can work for the communities in West Africa and in America,” Tchala told Happi. “A mother in West Africa can use her skills to put food on the table; a family in America can use those products. [We aim] to do what is moral and right by both communities and use the market as a solution.”

Proceeds from Ayéya will go toward establishing clean water wells in Ghana and Togo, with a goal to provide clean water for five million people in the next five years.

Actress Gabrielle Union Curates IPSY’s February Icon Box

With her standout role as head Clovers cheerleader in the 2000 cult classic “Bring It On,” Actress Gabrielle Union is an icon all her own.

A quarter-century later, the mother and entrepreneur of Flawless by Gabrielle Union was tapped to curate IPSY’s February Icon Box. The Icon Box by Gabrielle Union features an assortment of products from her own brand plus items from LYS Beauty, Kosas, Elemis and Benefit Cosmetics. The treasure trove also includes Union’s tips on how she uses beauty as a way to constantly redefine her most confident, happy and truest self, every day.

“As a Black female founder, it’s important to me to find ways to highlight the joy found in self-expression and vibrancy found in the Black experience,” she said. “Through this collaboration, I hope I can empower everyone to hold space for the many versions of themselves and help them find the looks that celebrate each one.”

Apart from product selection, Union is narrating IPSY’s social campaign for Black History Month called “Black Joy is Beauty.”

“What is joy?” asks Union. “It’s the art of expressing yourself authentically and unapologetically. Every twist, every bend, every beat; joy is the spark that ignites creativity and it keeps the culture alive. From the edges to the tips, this joy is passed down through generations: an unbreakable legacy of pride and resilience.

Amplifying the Black Joy Is Beautiful social campaign, IPSY will spotlight inspiring stories, content and products across its platforms. In addition, IPSY’s February Limited Edition Mystery Bags are designed by students from Project Level, a Bay Area nonprofit program that nurtures the creative needs of at-risk and underserved youth, and feature two distinct designs inspired by an ode to hair.

During February, IPSY provided its members with exclusive access to Black-owned brands, including Fenty Beauty, Briogeo, Danessa Myricks, Pat McGrath Labs and Buttah Skin, via its online IPSY Shop.

Check out a clip of the social media campaign here:

Danessa Myricks Beauty Products Encourage Creativity and Self-Expression

Keeping the self-expression going, Danessa Myricks Beauty – named for international makeup artist and photographer Danessa Myricks – makes multifunctional makeup products designed to encourage creativity. The brand recently relaunched its best-selling Yummy Skin Glow Serum with a new look and a new shade, “Fresh Pressed” in soft pink. It joins “Juice Boost” in sheer bronze and “Main Squeeze.”

The priming-serum-hybrid is infused with kiwi, dragon fruit, fig and pomegranate to deliver antioxidants and lock in moisture for plump, dewy skin, per the brand. Made with skin-loving ingredients niacinamide, turmeric, vitamin C and hyaluronic acid, it’s lightweight formula grips foundation effortlessly, creating a smooth, radiant base without a sticky feel.

The brand also makes a Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder Flushed, which was an Allure Magazine 2023 Best in Beauty winner; Colorfix mattes, metallics, sparklers, foils and liquid metals and a Colorfix Vault featuring 66 hues and seven finishes.

AbsoluteJOI Formulates for Melanin-Rich Skin

Physician Dr. Anne Beal turned a new leaf when she entered the beauty space in her creation of AbsoluteJOI, a “clean” inclusive beauty brand developed specifically for melanin-rich skin. Formulas promote skin health while treating premature signs of aging, including uneven skin tone, sensitivity, hyperpigmentation, dark spots and dry, dull skin. The brand recently relaunched its best-selling Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 40 Mineral Sunscreen with a new look and the same award-winning formula.

Suncare products for melanin-rich skin is on the rise.

Per recent Mintel research, nearly a fourth (22%) of Black consumers use self-tanning products, a 175% increase from 2022 (8%), driven by younger consumers.

“The rise of skin-friendly ingredient inclusions that promote benefits such as skin tone evening and healthy glow has improved self-tanning’s resonance with Black and melanated consumers,” said Joan Li, senior analyst, beauty and personal care, Mintel. “These groups have historically been more conscious about their skin health when selecting beauty and personal care products.

Analysts say more Black consumers (48%) prefer oil formats compared to all consumers (41%) and around three-fifths (59%) of Black consumers who use tanning products have used cream or lotion formats in the past year, in line with the general consumer trend.

Vanessa Marc Spa

Dubbed the secret oasis to A-listers including like Zendaya, Cardi B, Winnie Harlow, Chloe and Halle Bailey, Vanessa Marc Spa offers a variety of whole-body treatments (including its most requested Oxygen Hydra Facial and Lymphatic Massage) to help maintain a youthful, red carpet-ready glow – right in the Big Apple! Skin rejuvenation treatments include microneedling, chemical peel, C-Section Scar reduction and LED Light Therapy.

GloRilla Is First Fenty Beauty, Skin + Hair Partner

Hip-hop star GloRilla is Fenty Beauty, Skin and Hair’s first partner. The Grammy-nominated artist debuts one of her favorite Fenty Beauty looks in the premier campaign called “Glo Up Close.”

To achieve her “Glo Up Close” look, stylist Lauren Lewis used Fenty Hair The Controlling Type Hair-Thickening Edge Control Gel with The Side Stick 3-in-1 Edge Styling Tool. This repair-infused gel lays and locks hair in place, tames flyaways and provides long-lasting hold. The Side Stick offers maximum control and precision as a 3-in-1 styling tool for combing, brushing, laying edges and parting.

For her face, makeup artist Sadai Banks lined GloRilla’s lips with Fenty Beauty Trace’d Out Pencil Lip Liner in “I Woodn’t,” a neutral-brown shade in a creamy, long-wear pencil. Next, she applied two different layers of hydrating gloss – first, she used Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Stix High-Shine Gloss Stick in “Two’Lip Kiss,” a light peach, glossy, medium pigment lipstick followed by Fenty Skin Treatz Hydrating + Strengthening Lip Oil in “Dragon Fruit.” Rihanna’s Fenty Treatz goes on clear and cushions lips with fruit oils and extracts to strengthen the lips’ moisture barrier for a softer, fuller pout.

As the ultimate finishing touch, Banks applied the award-winning and viral-favorite body moisturizer, Fenty Skin Butta Drop Whipped Oil Body Cream, and paired it with Fenty Beauty Diamond Bomb All-Over Diamond Veil in “How Many Carats?!,” a pure platinum glittering highlighter, using Fenty Beauty Face & Body Kabuki Brush 160 for a sparkling and smooth sheen on skin.

Girls Who Brunch Tour Founder Dr. Ni’Cola Mitchell Honored with Karen T. Fondu Impact Award

Nominations are being sought for L’Oréal Paris USA’s Women of Worth through International Women’s Day on March 8. Each female non-profit leader nominated has the chance to be one of 10 honorees inducted into this year’s Women of Worth class.

Honorees will be selected in partnership with Points of Light, a global nonprofit leader and champion for volunteering, and each honoree will receive a $25,000 grant through L’Oréal Paris’ intermediary grant maker, GlobalGiving, an opportunity to build a network for their cause and more.

This year’s honorees will join an active alumni network of 190 changemakers as part of the L’Oréal Paris Women of Worth family. Each year, a program alumna who demonstrates an extraordinary commitment to her cause in the years since being recognized receives the Karen T. Fondu Impact Award with a grant of $10,000. This award was created in honor of past L’Oréal Paris President and Chairman of Women of Worth, Karen T. Fondu.

This year, it has been bestowed to Dr. Ni’Cola Mitchell, founder of Girls Who Brunch Tour. The nonprofit empowers at-risk girls between the ages of 9-17 who face numerous challenges, such as bullying, human trafficking, self-esteem issues and a lack of recognition of their self-worth. Girls Who Brunch aims to address these issues by equipping girls with essential tools in literacy, education, life skills and health and wellness. Since being a Women of Worth honoree in 2019, Ni’Cola has impacted over 48,000 women, has a presence in 28 cities, including internationally, and has launched new programs that target STEM, technology and wellness for Black communities.