Over the past few months a cascade of black woman-owned brands have closed, shocking customers and fans. Beauty Bakerie, The Established and Ceylon are all gone. Koils by Nature has declared bankruptcy. Melanin Haircare is crowdfunding investment, and has disclosed persistent unprofitability.
June is typically an exciting time in the indie black beauty space. It’s the beginning of outdoor vending season, with Juneteenth smack dab in the middle. This year there’s a definite shift in the energy. Brands are quieter, more anxious.
Last year was BGLH’s year of wondering whether we’d make it. We survived because we stopped deep discounting, made a commitment to becoming debt- free and — most importantly — had loyal customers who kept buying despite the phase out of 50% and 60% off coupons.
We are, thankfully, towards the end of a painful debt repayment journey. But I’m reminded of how precarious it all is. How quickly years of hard work can go up in smoke.
It’s hard to pinpoint why black beauty brands are struggling so much. Borrowing is harder, costs are up, and attacks on DEI mean less people see supporting black-owned brands as a good thing. Recession is here (or on the horizon, depending on who you ask) and consumers are reaching for lower-priced items. But I think, too, that owning a small business is very hard work, no matter who you are.
You might assume that your favorite black-owned brand will always be around. I think that’s almost always a founder’s intent. But I don’t think it’s something you can take for granted.
If you love a brand, and their products bring value to your life, be intentional about spending money with them. As we’re seeing, it could be a matter of their survival.
~Leila
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2 Responses
Koils by nature WAS TRASH! THE OWNER was evil and sold me products in the rice bran oil bundle with compromised lids, meaning the freshness was less than that of the sealed products. Pamela booker got offended that I had unanswered order-related concerns for two back-to-back orders. Just because a business is black-owned doesn’t mean there will be good customer service or good products. Her customer service ignored several messages, even presumed that my questions were a product review and never bothered to verify if that was the case. Mind you, to leave a review, one has to login to one’s account to do that task. The owner also promised to send me a soap sample she claimed to use on her skin in her own email. Total lie! These experiences with koils by nature has put much doubt in me about dealing with black businesses. I hope God deals with booker and those like her. The amazon.com low rate reviews match my experiences, too.
I absolutely love this perspective! It’s inspiring to hear about your resilience and commitment to keeping your brand alive during these challenging times. Your story is a powerful reminder of the importance of supporting black-owned businesses and the impact that loyal customers can have. Thank you for sharing such an encouraging and relatable message! If anyone is interested in exploring more ways to support black woman-owned beauty brands or similar initiatives, be sure to check out our website for more information: https://theklarity.com