(NEW YORK) — While the desire for barely-there everyday makeup continues to trend, the options for people of color are few and far between.
However, that may finally be changing, as evidenced by the release of Ami Colé, a newly launched line of “better-for-you” makeup for melanin-rich skin.
The cosmetics brand was unveiled on Monday and features three hero products, including a skin tint, lip treatment oil and highlighter.
“We create skin-caring and deep-understanding formulas,” the company states on its website.
Ami Colé was dreamt up by first-generation Senegalese America Diarrha N’Diaye, who is a beauty-obsessed community builder and has eight years of past experience working for big box and buzzy startups such as L’Oréal Paris and Glossier.
The brand is thoughtfully named after and inspired by N’Diaye’s mother, who emigrated to the U.S. from Dakar, Senegal, and has been operating her own hair braiding salon, Aminata African Hair Braiding, in New York City’s Harlem since 1988.
“After all these years, there is still a lack of elevated WOC brands telling relatable stories and offering non-toxic, quality beauty products,” N’Diaye said in a statement. “There are even fewer DTC brands.”
For decades, the beauty market has been criticized for underserving Black consumers, yet people of color tend to be some of the biggest spenders of the category, according to research from NielsenIQ.
One of Ami Colé’s star products is the Skin-Enhancing Tint, which has a satin finish fluid that smooths and adds a soft glow to skin.
It’s available in six flexible shades and was thoughtfully crafted for a wide variety of undertones commonly found in melanin-rich skin tones.
Key ingredients include baobab seed, hibiscus and pumpkin seed extracts to help hydrate and nourish skin.
The brand describes it as creating a blur effect without masking your skin.
“Ami Colé is about discovering, defining, celebrating, and exploring the excellence of those with melanin-rich skin, and using nourishing, non-toxic ingredients like our hero Baobab Seed Oil extract – native to Sub-Saharan Africa and known to strengthen, soften and nourish our skin cells,” N’Diaye said in a statement.
She continued, “Ami Colé exists to sharpen the focus on those who have been in the peripheral of beauty’s global narrative for centuries.”
Products currently retail from $20 to $32 and are available on the brand’s website. The line will also be available at Thirteen Lune next month.
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